Pote fined, Sporting player forced to open his wallet | OneFootball

Pote was fined 612 euros by the Disciplinary Board of the Portuguese Football Federation following an incident that took place in the second leg of last season’s Portuguese Cup semi-finals. The Sporting forward was ultimately sanctioned for conduct deemed contrary to disciplinary rules after placing on the pitch pieces of cardboard that had been thrown by Porto fans during the match played at the Estádio do Dragão.

The incident happened on April 22 in a match that ended in a draw and was marked by several moments of tension. Sporting had taken to the field with the advantage in the tie after winning the first leg 1-0, and eventually secured a place in the final. During the game, Pote was struck by pieces of cardboard coming from the stands and decided to remove them from where they were, ultimately placing them inside the field of play.

In its disciplinary ruling, the FPF Disciplinary Board held that the player’s attitude could not be seen merely as the simple removal of objects. The body argued that “the conduct of a player who deliberately throws objects into the field of play during the course of the match is contrary to sporting ethics and to the aforementioned duties of loyalty, probity and uprightness, first and foremost toward his fellow professionals taking part in the game, the refereeing team and, in general, all those involved in it,” it can be read.

The Portuguese international’s defense, in turn, presented a different version of events and sought to frame the footballer’s action as a reaction to the behavior of Porto supporters. According to the argument presented, it was “a mere gesture of removing objects,” after the player had been “bombarded with pieces of cardboard thrown at him and at the substitutes’ bench”. In that sense, the defense argued that the Sporting forward “merely removed them from the area where he was,” seeking to counter the interpretation that there had been any intention to deliberately throw the objects onto the pitch.

Despite the explanation presented by the defense, the decision ultimately imposed a fine of 612 euros onPote, thus bringing the disciplinary proceedings related to the incident to a close. The case dates back to one of the hottest nights of the last edition of the Portuguese Cup.

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