As tension increased following the punishment imposed on Gianluca Prestianni, UEFA dismissed Monday the complaint Benfica filed against Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde for an alleged aggression against Sweden international Samuel Dahl during the first leg of the Champions League knockout phase playoff. As a result, the Uruguay international was cleared to play in Wednesday’s return leg, the Portuguese side confirmed.
“UEFA has informed Sport Lisboa e Benfica that the complaint submitted by the club regarding the incident involving Real Madrid player Federico Valverde has been dismissed,” the Lisbon-based club said in a statement.
The incident occurred in the 83rd minute at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, when Valverde struck Sweden defender Samuel Dahl with his fist while attempting to break free. The referee did not issue a card to the Uruguay midfielder.
“Benfica regret that, given the evidence in the images showing the aggression against Benfica player Samuel Dahl, UEFA has decided not to take disciplinary action. This was, without a doubt, a situation that deserved a red card, but it was not sanctioned during the match, and without that dismissal, it does not merit further punishment,” Benfica concluded.
Federico Valverde of Real Madrid.
A match filled with emotion
The return leg at Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid will arrive surrounded by controversy. On Monday, UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Committee provisionally suspended Argentina international Gianluca Prestianni after Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr alleged that the Benfica player directed a racist insult toward him.
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Benfica react to UEFA’s punishment of Prestianni over Vinicius allegations with strong statement ahead of rematch vs Real Madrid
Despite the situation, Benfica decided to travel to Madrid with Prestianni. Former Real Madrid head coach Jose Mourinho, who was sent off in the first leg for protesting to the referee, also will not be on the sideline on Wednesday.
The matchup between the two clubs for a place in the round of 16 now carries two flashpoints of tension: UEFA’s decision not to sanction Uruguay midfielder Federico Valverde despite Benfica’s claim, and the disciplinary process involving Argentina forward Gianluca Prestianni following the alleged racist remarks reported by Vinicius Jr of Real Madrid.
