FC Porto fined after Benfica complaint of “discriminatory treatment” | OneFootball

FC Porto was fined €3,060 by the Portuguese Football Federation following a breach of organizational and security duties in the clássico against Benfica, in the Portuguese Cup quarter-finals played on January 14.

The penalty stems from a formal complaint filed by Benfica’s SAD, which accused the blue-and-whites of giving Benfica supporters “discriminatory” and “humanly degrading” treatment.

At issue was the security operation that kept hundreds of Benfica fans held on the stairways of the Estádio do Dragão for around two hours, causing many to miss the first 45 minutes of the match. In addition to the delay, there was major backlash over the requirement that fans had to take off their shoes outside the stadium, on wet ground, in order to be searched.

In the proceedings, Porto’s defense shifted the responsibility, arguing that Benfica fans arrived late at the meeting point and caused disturbances on the stairs.

As for the order to remove shoes, FC Porto justified it as a “proportionate” requirement recommended by the PSP, given the history of pyrotechnic devices being used in that stand, arguing that security should take precedence over speed of entry.

The Dragons’ version did not convince the Disciplinary Council (CD). The ruling, approved unanimously, strongly criticizes the logistics put in place by the home club.

Although it acknowledged that searching shoes was legitimate in light of the security risk, the CD stresses that FC Porto clearly failed to ensure even minimal comfort for spectators.

The body also concluded that the stadium stewards controlled entry “at a trickle,” leaving turnstiles and search points unused while the crowd waited on the stairs. The FPF concluded that Porto acted with “conscious negligence” by disregarding warnings from the authorities to speed up the process, increasing the fine due to the club’s history of repeated organizational failings this season.

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