FC Porto fined for security failings in the derby with Benfica | OneFootball

FC Porto was punished by the Disciplinary Board (CD) of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) with a fine of €3,060 following organizational and security failures recorded during the match against Benfica, in the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup, played on January 14 at the Dragão and won 1-0 by the blue-and-whites.

The CD’s decision came after a complaint filed by Benfica’s SAD. In the complaint, the Eagles reported «discriminatory» and «humanly degrading» treatment allegedly suffered by their supporters at the Dragão Stadium.

According to Benfica’s complaint, hundreds of supporters, including children and elderly people, were forced to take off their shoes on a wet floor in order to be searched. The slow access to the stadium also caused many spectators to miss the entire first half of the match.

In its defense, FC Porto blamed Benfica and its supporters for the delay, arguing that they arrived late at the meeting point and that one group tried to force its way in, causing disorder. The Dragons also argued that checking footwear was a proportionate security measure, recommended by the PSP, due to previous incidents of pyrotechnics being thrown from that section.

However, the ruling by the Disciplinary Board, approved unanimously, concluded that FC Porto failed to ensure the «minimum conditions of comfort» for spectators. The body considered the management of the entry flow particularly serious, noting that the stadium stewards were letting supporters through «drop by drop». As a result, the checkpoints were left empty while hundreds of people remained on the stairs for around two hours.

The conduct of the event organizer was classified as «conscious negligence», since several warnings from the security forces to speed up the process were ignored. FC Porto’s repeat offenses involving serious match organization breaches in the previous season were cited as an aggravating factor in the application of the sanction.

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