Several players, coached by Miguel Afonso, this Friday, through the Union of Professional Football Players (SJPF), formalized complaints of sexual harassment to the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) and the Judicial Police (PJ), a union source confirmed to Lusa.
The day after several football players who played in Rio Ave in 2020/21 denounced sexual harassment at the Vila do Conde club, the SJPF was contacted and, after collecting the evidence, the participations with the FPF and formalize the PJ, who, according to the same source, are not only players from this squad, but also from other clubs led by Miguel Afonso.
This Friday, Miguel Afonso, 40, was preventively suspended by the Disciplinary Board (CD) of the FPF, which instituted an urgent trial against the coach, after Famalicão announced the suspension of duties and the replacement, to be interim, in charge of the Minho team. team of the Women’s League by Renato Lobo.
Several football players who played in Rio Ave in 2020/21, in an article published on Thursday by the newspaper Público, denounced sexual harassment by the then coach of the club Vila do Conde, currently in charge of Famalicão, of the women’s competition, already after last season with Ovarense.
According to the newspaper, Miguel Afonso, 40, has exchanged intimate messages with players of the Foz do Ave emblem, aged between 18 and 20.
Rio Ave admitted to being aware of “unreasonable approaches” by the coach but said the matter was not followed up at the request of the footballers, while Famalicão, the current club of the coach, promised, after he “truth of events”, “take all steps within its power to sanction it”.
According to article 126-B of the FPF Disciplinary Regulations, sexual harassment is punishable by a suspension of three months to one year.
Sexual harassment is punishable by imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of up to 120 days, in accordance with Article 170 of the Criminal Code, referring to the offense of sexual harassment, and Article 29 of the Labor Code.
Source: DN
