Look out, Benfica! Disciplinary board extends Mário Branco ban | OneFootball

The Disciplinary Board of the Portuguese Football Federation increased the suspension imposed on Mário Branco, Benfica’s general director, who will now have to serve a total of 25 days of suspension following the incidents that took place after the match between Famalicão and Benfica, in the 32nd round of the League.

Initially given a precautionary 20-day suspension, the Benfica official has now seen the sanction extended by a further five days after the disciplinary proceedings were concluded. In addition to the suspension, a fine of €3,876 was also imposed, increased due to repeat offending.

According to the Disciplinary Board’s decision, the version presented by referee Gustavo Correia in the match report was upheld. The referee from the Porto Football Association reported that he was insulted by Mário Branco after the final whistle. "Son of a b...! You’re all sons of b...!" wrote the referee affiliated with AF Porto.

The refereeing in the match played on 2 May sparked strong protests from Benfica’s hierarchy. Among the main reasons for the discontent was an alleged penalty not awarded when Benfica were leading 2-0, the yellow card shown to Richard Ríos, which ruled him out of the following game against Sporting de Braga, as well as the 15 minutes of stoppage time given by the refereeing team.

Rui Costa also publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with Gustavo Correia’s performance. The Benfica president would also end up being the target of disciplinary proceedings, receiving a 25-day suspension over incidents related to the same match. The decision thus closes another disciplinary chapter stemming from one of the most controversial games in the closing stretch of the last edition of the Portuguese League.

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