What does the referee cross signal mean that triggered Benfica-Real Madrid match delay?
- The Champions League match between Benfica and Real Madrid was delayed on Tuesday after Vinicius Jr accused Gianluca Prestianni of racially abusing him.
- The referee made a cross signal gesture above his head after Vinicius made the allegation, which is an official signal to indicate a racist incident, triggering the anti-discrimination protocol put in place by Uefa.
- The Uefa protocol states that organisers should be alerted and a stadium announcement will be made to inform fans of the situation.
- If the behaviour continues, the match will then be temporarily suspended or, in severe cases, abandoned.
- Tuesday’s match was delayed by around 11 minutes as the situation was assessed, before both sets of players returned to the pitch to complete the game.
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