Gianluca Pristiani: Benfica’s appeal against suspension was rejected before the Real Madrid match

Gianluca Pristiani will miss the second leg of Benfica’s Champions League match against Real Madrid after UEFA rejected the club’s appeal against his ban.

The Argentine winger was provisionally suspended for one match after Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior reported alleged racist abuse during last week’s 1-0 defeat in the first leg of the preliminary round.

Benfica said it would appeal the decision, but acknowledged it was unlikely to have “any practical impact” before their return on Wednesday at the Bernabeu.

UEFA imposed the ban on a temporary basis, pending the outcome of a full investigation by the Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector, and an additional sanction could still be imposed on the 20-year-old.

Pristiani trained alongside his Benfica teammates at Real Madrid’s stadium on Tuesday in the hope that his ban will be overturned in time to participate.

But the Portuguese club’s request was rejected by the UEFA Appeals Body, and the player remains temporarily suspended for the next match in the European club competition, which is Wednesday’s match.

Otherwise, Prestiani would have been eligible to face the Spanish hosts while the investigation took place.

However, UEFA said there was sufficient evidence to support a “prima facie case” against it regarding the use of discriminatory language.