Porto fined for security breaches in classic match

Porto has been fined 3,060 euros by the Disciplinary Council of the Portuguese Football Federation for security breaches in their match against Benfica, related to the quarterfinals of the Portuguese Cup, played on January 14 at the Dragão.

What happened?

The CD's decision came after a complaint filed by Benfica's SAD. In the complaint, the Reds denounced a «discriminatory» and «humanly degrading» treatment to which their fans were subjected at the Estádio do Dragão.

Why is this important for Porto?

According to Benfica's complaint, hundreds of fans, including children and the elderly, were forced to remove their shoes on a wet floor to be searched. The slowness in accessing the stadium also led many spectators to miss the entire first half of the match.

What is Porto's reaction?

In their defense, Porto attributed the responsibility for the delay to Benfica and their fans, claiming that they arrived late at the meeting point and that a group tried to force their way in, causing disorder. The Dragons also argued that the shoe search was a proportional security measure, recommended by the PSP, due to previous incidents of pyrotechnic throwing from that sector.

What comes next?

The promoter's actions were classified as «conscious negligence», as several security alerts to speed up the process were ignored. Porto's recurrence of serious game organization infractions in the previous season was pointed out as an aggravating factor in the application of the sanction.