The Disciplinary Council (CD) of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) suspended this Friday preventively the coach of the Famalicão women’s team, Miguel Afonso, who was initiated an urgent disciplinary process, reported a source from the Portuguese body.
Several soccer players who played at Rio Ave in 2020/21 denounced, in an article published on Thursday by the newspaper Público, sexual harassment by the then coach of the Vila do Conde club, currently in charge of Famalicão, in the women’s league, after having been at Ovarense last season.
According to the newspaper, Miguel Afonso, 40, exchanged intimate messages with players from the Foz do Ave shield, between 18 and 20 years old.
The CD today confirmed the start of a disciplinary process against coach Miguel Afonso, who had announced it on Thursday, declared it urgent and determined the non-automatic preventive suspension of the coach provided for in the regulations, according to the same official FPF source.
According to article 126-B of the FPF Disciplinary Regulations, sexual harassment is sanctioned with a suspension of three months to one year.
Before, Famalicão had already suspended Miguel Afonso, by mutual agreement and with immediate effect, being temporarily replaced in the technical command of the Minho team of the Women’s League by Renato Lobo.
On Thursday, Rio Ave admitted having been aware of “unreasonable approaches” by the coach, but that the matter, at the request of the players, was not followed up, while Famalicão, the coach’s current club, promised, after verifying “the truth of the facts”, take “all the measures at its disposal to punish it”.
Sexual harassment is punishable by imprisonment for up to one year or a fine of up to 120 days, in accordance with article 170 of the Penal Code, referring to the crime of sexual harassment, and article 29 of the Labor Code.
Source: TSF
