Homophobic insult
FIFA bans Argentina professional from World Cup games
Updated May 6, 2026 – 7:42 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Argentine winger Gianluca Prestianni now has to face the consequences of his homophobic comments against Vinícius Júnior in the national team.
FIFA has extended the ban against Benfica professional Gianluca Prestianni to all global competitions – including the World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada. The 20-year-old Argentine made homophobic comments towards Vinícius Júnior in the Champions League game against Real Madrid in mid-February.
Prestianni had covered his mouth with his jersey. UEFA then banned him for six games, three of which were on probation. At the request of the European association, FIFA extended this ban to all global competitions. The association said: “The Fifa Disciplinary Committee has decided to apply the six-game ban imposed by UEFA worldwide.”
It is unclear whether Argentina’s national coach Lionel Scaloni will call Prestianni into the World Cup squad. So far, the winger has only appeared once for the “Albiceleste” – in a friendly in November 2025. He was not on the pitch in the preparatory game against Zambia on March 31st. If he is not nominated, he will serve the remaining two games of his ban in a UEFA competition next season.
Defending champion Argentina starts the tournament against Algeria in Kansas City on June 17th and faces Austria in Arlington five days later. The group is completed by World Cup newcomer Jordan. If Prestianni were nominated, he would miss these first two games. He has already served one game of his suspension in the Champions League.
The incident also triggered a rule change. Last week, the International Football Association Board (Ifab) decided on a FIFA proposal: Covering your mouth when insulting someone can in future be seen as a dismissal.
