Vinícius told reporters after the game that Prestianni directed a racial slur at him, which Prestianni denied. Prestianni wrote on Instagram that "at no time" did he direct racist insults Vinícius and that Vinícius "regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard."

Kylian Mbappé backed his Real Madrid teammate in interviews and said he heard Prestianni call Vinícius a "monkey."

"He said it five times," Mbappé said. "I am speaking as clearly as possible. I am telling you what I think and what I heard, and I heard it very well."

Prestianni denied the claim, ESPN reported, telling officials of UEFA, the governing body of soccer in Europe, that he used an anti-gay slur, not a racist slur. Prestianni was initially suspended for one game while officials investigated.

Last week, UEFA announced Prestianni would be punished with a six-game suspension specifically for homophobic discrimination. The penalty for racist abuse is a 10-game suspension.

The dispute sparked international headlines and condemnation across the soccer world. Many felt that leagues should impose rules against players trying to obscure what they say in arguments.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino supported the idea that a player should be sent off the field in such cases if there is a question of racist abuse. He added in an interview with Sky News that he didn't understand why someone would try to hide.

He told Sky that FIFA was proposing a change to the rules about the matter for rules board's meeting this month.

"There must be a presumption that he has said something he shouldn't have said, otherwise he wouldn't have had to cover his mouth," Infantino said.