Gianluca Pristiani banned: Thibaut Courtois says Vinicius Junior’s celebration does not justify racist abuse

Courtois refused to listen to the comments of Benfica president Rui Costa, who said Pristiani was “not a racist” and deserved the club’s trust after his “crucifixion”, but stressed his support for his teammate.

“Vinnie never said anything like that, so I’m 100% sure he heard it,” the Belgian said.

“I completely believe him. Since he remains silent, we will never know for sure, but there is not much we can do.”

The match was stopped for 10 minutes after Vinicius alerted referee François Leixier to the incident, before his teammates temporarily left the field.

Courtois said that Real Madrid was ready to “steadfast”, but agreed to continue the match after Vinicius said he wanted to continue.

There were also reports of racist gestures in the stands at the Estadio da Luz.

Courtois added: “The other things that happened in the stands, in my opinion, require stopping the match and sending these people off.”

“As footballers, we don’t see everything, but that happens when we focus on the game. There have to be responsible people who see that.

“There is a security guard at Benfica two meters away and he has to behave. We can continue to improve in these areas… and stop being foolish.”

UEFA later sanctioned Prestiani, 20, on a temporary basis, pending the outcome of a full investigation by the ethics and discipline inspector.

The European Union said more sanctions may be imposed once the investigation is completed.

Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa urged UEFA to use this incident as an opportunity to make a statement.

“We have a great opportunity to be a turning point in the fight against racism,” he said.

“UEFA, which has always been and is leading this fight against racism, now has the opportunity to not leave it at just a slogan, or just a beautiful banner before matches, and I hope they will seize this opportunity.”