Those suspected of causing an incident with two FC Porto fans in the Estoril Praia field have already been identified, an official source from the Authority for the Prevention and Combat of Violence in Sport (APCVD) confirmed to Lusa on Monday.
Contacted by Lusa, a source from the APCVD reported the identification of the suspects, with the collaboration of the National Republican Guard (GNR) and the opening of an administrative infraction process for the acts committed on Saturday, during the Estoril Praia draw. at the reception of the champion FC Porto (1-1), on the seventh day of the I Portuguese Football League.
At stake are the insults directed at a man, with a child on his lap, both wearing FC Porto shirtsthat will have been spat on, while they were in an area of the bench intended for the host fans, which can be sanctioned with fines of between 1,000 and 10,000 euros and with the penalty of prohibition of access to sports venues.
“They spat on me and insulted me. I had to get my daughter out of there”: father with a baby from FC Porto forced to change places in Estoril
The same source assured that, after the incident and according to the APCVD, the father and the boy who wore the FC Porto shirt remained on the same bench, although with the need to move them a few meters to safeguard their physical integrity. Boy and father continued like this with the jersey of their respective club, welcomed by the Estorilians who stood out and were outraged by the acts of intolerance that had occurred.
On Sunday, Estoril Praia regretted what happened and condemned “any act of violence, of whatever nature.”
We deeply regret the situation experienced by the daughter of the FC Porto fan at the António Coimbra da Mota Stadium, apologizing and wishing that he never ceases to appreciate the true essence of Sport. We condemn the attitudes of those who cannot control their emotions and we allow the provocative attitudes of alleged football fans to become an unfortunate moment of aggression that has no place in a football stadium”, reads the Cascais shield statement.
Estoril Praia ends this note making itself available “to continue collaborating with the competent authorities in the search for adequate solutions that can prevent this type of episode from happening again in a sports venue.”
Earlier, the Secretary of State for Youth and Sports, João Paulo Correia, and the president of the Portuguese Professional Football League (LPFP), Pedro Proença, had repudiated this incident.
“This child and father were victims of unacceptable intolerance by a group of supporters from the opposing team. These types of incidents cannot occur in our stadiums. Nor can we accept attempts to normalize intolerance in sport”, reacted João Paulo Correia, through the social network Twitter.
On the other hand, the Secretary of State for Youth and Sport assured measures against offenders: “The Authority for the Prevention and Fight against Violence in Sport will act against the conduct of the fans in question. We will continue to fight tirelessly.”
Questioned by Lusa, the same source from the APCVD reported the existence of some 1,800 final convictions, without the possibility of appeal, and 560 measures prohibiting access to sports venues in force, derived from the activity of the last three years.
In total, there are currently About 250 fans prevented from accessing sports venuesaccording to data from the National Sports Information Point, 170 of which were after measures applied by the APCVD.
The president of the LPFP also called for a “joint reflection”, stressing that “no one” can be absent from this discussion.
“The cry of a terrified child, clinging to his father’s arms, in a football stadium, should be enough to make us… STOP!” Pedro Proença wrote on the Facebook social network.
The leader of the LPFP insisted on “repudiating, firmly and with conviction, all acts that constitute attacks against all those who build the show that football should be”, in a “moment of recovery” of the competitions and in which aims to “bring families back to the sports scene”.
We will have to be uncompromising in defending these values, sure, however, that change begins in each one of us, in the reflection on what sport and citizenship are. This reflection will constitute a substantial part of this journey. We will not stop defending what is correct and demanding the means and conditions to make it effective”, highlighted Proença.
This is the second time in the space of a week that both the Secretary of State for Youth and Sports and the president of the LPFP regret incidents that have occurred with fans in I League stadiums.
Precisely a week ago, a boy was forced to take off his Benfica shirt at the Famalicão stadium, since he was, along with his father, on a bench with a majority of local fans.
Source: Observadora
