Ball boy incident: FA sides with Sporting, opens case against Porto | OneFootball

The Disciplinary Council of the Portuguese Football Federation has initiated disciplinary proceedings against Porto following several incidents that occurred during the Clássico against Sporting, played last Monday, February 9, according to the newspaper Record.

Among the facts under review is the behavior of the ball boys in the final minutes of the match. At a time when the blue and whites were leading 1-0, with a goal from Fofana, Sport TV's broadcast images showed balls and their respective cones out of their usual place, hindering the quick return of the ball to play. The alleged intention was to slow down the pace of the game, as Sporting pressed for an equalizer, which eventually came through Luis Suárez, following up on a penalty rebound.

According to the sports newspaper, the incident was noticed by the refereeing team and included in the official reports by referee Luís Godinho and League delegates, João Ledo and Carlos Carmo, which paved the way for the Disciplinary Council's action.

The disciplinary process also covers other episodes described in the reports, some of them following a formal complaint submitted by Sporting. Among the cases is the alleged disappearance of towels belonging to goalkeeper Rui Silva, which were next to the Sporting goal. The episode has been linked to Porto's ball boys and recalls a similar incident that occurred in the CAN final between Morocco and Senegal, aimed at preventing the goalkeeper from drying his gloves in rainy conditions.

Also under investigation are complaints regarding the conditions of the visitors' locker room and the noise emitted by speakers located in the area designated for Sporting fans. In a statement, Sporting denounced the high temperature in the cabin assigned to the visiting team, stating that it was impossible to regulate and ironically commenting that, "as for the much-touted breath of fresh air" in Porto, "not even in the air conditioning."

Regarding the sound in the visitors' sector, Sporting fans reported that whenever they tried to support the team more audibly, the volume of the speakers increased, with the intention of drowning out the chants. All these elements are now part of the process initiated by the Disciplinary Council, which will determine any potential responsibilities.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.