The defender spoke out after his Real Madrid teammate claimed Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni racially abused him during Tuesday’s (17.02.26) 1-0 UEFA Champions League play-off win.
Referee Francois Letexier activated UEFA’s racism protocol in the first half at the Estadio da Luz, halting the match for 10 minutes after Vinicius alerted officials to comments he said were made by Prestianni.
Speaking with CBS Sports, Alexander-Arnold - who was on the opposite side of the pitch when the incident occurred - said: “I think when you see something like that [the referee activating a racism protocol] you know it’s something serious, a serious incident and that’s what has happened.
“What has been reported is a disgrace to football. It’s a disgrace to the sport, a disgrace in society as well. There’s no place for it. It’s ruined the night for everyone.
“We hope that there is an investigation and that justice will be served to the player.”
Vinicius Jr. - who scored the only goal of the game - appeared visibly distressed as he spoke with Madrid head coach Alvaro Arbeloa, Benfica manager Jose Mourinho and teammates during the stoppage.
Arbeloa later confirmed Madrid were prepared to leave the field if the Brazil international wished to do so, but the player opted to continue.
Alexander-Arnold praised his teammate for reporting the alleged abuse.
He said: “Vini has reacted the right way, he’s done the right thing, he’s reported it. As a player that’s all you can do. As a team, as a club, we support him.
“Vini has had incidents like this before, he’s been subjected to this numerous times in his career. He’s experienced this before. He’s gone through something very disappointing tonight. He’s handled it right.
“I’m very proud of the team and the club and how everyone reacted and got behind Vini. We stuck together as a team.”
Prestianni has denied directing racist abuse at Vinicius, stating on social media that he was “never racist with anyone” and that the forward had misunderstood what was said.
Benfica also defended their player, while Mourinho said he had been told “different things” by both parties and wished to remain independent.
Vinicius later posted on Instagram: “Racists are, above all, cowards,” adding that such incidents were “nothing new” in his career.
Real Madrid return to Spain with a narrow advantage, but Alexander-Arnold insisted the focus must now be on accountability as well as football.
He said: “We go back home with a win. That’s the positive. But we take how we reacted to it as well.”
