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  "path": "/sport/football/real-madrid-employee-benfica-rui-costa-fight-champions-league",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-18T09:56:34.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Football pundits rally against Jose Mourinho after Benfica and Real Madrid racism controversy",
    "Tyson Fury announces risky decision as British boxing icon prepares for first fight in 17 months",
    "Micah Richards brands Benfica player a 'coward' after alleged racism incident involving Vinicius Jr",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\n\nA Real Madrid employee was involved in a fight with Benfica president Rui Costa following last night's explosive Champions League match, it has been claimed.\n\nLos Blancos won 1-0 in Portugal, with Vinicius Jr scoring the only goal of the game in the 50th minute.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nHowever, the contest was overshadowed by a racism interview - with Gianluca Prestianni accused of abusing Vinicius just moments after his goal.\n\nThe Benfica star has firmly denied making racist comments, though Vinicius has stuck to his guns and is adamant that he didn't mishear what was said.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\nTensions ran so high that, at one point, it looked as though Real Madrid players weren't going to play on.\n\nJose Mourinho attempted to act as peacemaker, with the 63-year-old Benfica boss talking with the likes of Vinicius and Kylian Mbappe on the field.\n\nAfter a delay of around 10 minutes, proceedings eventually continued as Real took a giant step towards qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nNow, however, more details have come to light.\n\nSpanish outlet Cadena Cope say that a Real Madrid employee, who hasn't been named, was involved in a fight with Benfica president Costa.\n\nIt apparently started when Costa asked the employee in question, who isn't a player or a member of the coaching staff, to stop recording in the tunnel.\n\n### LATEST SPORTS NEWS:\n\n\n\n\n  * Football pundits rally against Jose Mourinho after Benfica and Real Madrid racism controversy\n  * Tyson Fury announces risky decision as British boxing icon prepares for first fight in 17 months\n  * Micah Richards brands Benfica player a 'coward' after alleged racism incident involving Vinicius Jr\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nWhen the staffer responded aggressively, the situation then escalated with the duo nearly coming to blows.\n\nThough Benfica have since insisted that no such incident took place, Cope journalist Manolo Lama is standing by his claims in the aftermath of such a controversial fixture.\n\nMeanwhile, both Prestianni and Vinicius have spoken out since the racism row ignited.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nBenfica's Prestianni firmly denied making any racist comments, with the Argentine saying: “I want to clarify that at no point did I direct racist insults at the player Vinicius Junior, who unfortunately misinterpreted what he thinks he heard.\n\n“I have never been racist towards anyone.\n\n“And I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.\"\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nVinicius, however, insists that he didn't mishear with the 25-year-old winger releasing a statement of his own making his stance on the matter abundantly clear.\n\n“Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to show how weak they are,\" he said.\n\n“But they have the protection of others who, theoretically, have an obligation to punish them.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\"Nothing that happened today is new in my life or in my team’s life.\n\n“I received a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don’t understand why. On the other hand, it was just a poorly executed protocol that served no purpose.\n\n“I don’t like to appear in situations like this, especially after a big win and when the headlines should be about Real Madrid, but it’s necessary.”\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards:The GB News Editorial Charter **",
  "title": "Real Madrid employee 'had fight with Benfica president' after racism storm in Champions League match"
}