Miguel Afonso, the Famalicão coach who has been accused of sexual harassment by some Rio Ave players, says he is the target of a “settlement” without specifying who or on what grounds. “Just, thank you to everyone who showed their support during this night, because they know how and who I am. I remain strong and focused. With calm and soul I will defend myself against this created plan,” the coach defended on Instagram.
One of the clubs involved in the case, Rio Ave, where the alleged harassment took place in the 2020-21 season, acknowledged that it was “aware of some indirect comments from athletes about alleged inappropriate approaches by the coach”, which were refused by the coach, who eventually left the club. And, he adds, “at the request of the players, the matter was not followed upIn other words, that’s it.
Jorge Silva, the chairman of the other club involved, Famalicão, who was reportedly already aware of the coach’s alleged misconduct, would have chosen to hire him anyway to lead the Minho club’s women’s team. – according to the newspaper Public – although he officially said in a statement yesterday that “at the time of recruitment, and until today (yesterday) he is not aware of any allegation or complaint to the competent authorities that falls on coach Miguel Afonso”.
Whether there remains confidence in the coach of the team, who gave the training yesterday and acted as if there was nothing, not a word… outwardly. Internally, according to DN, Jorge Silva told the Famalicense squad (6th in the championship) to keep calm and guarantee he had no evidence against Miguel Afonso and accused two businesswomen of being behind an unfounded complaint.
The Famalicense leader also said the coach will remain in office until proven otherwise. However, according to DN, the 15-day break before the team’s matches could serve to better assess the impact of the case and consider a change of coach, in time for the BPI Liga match with Benfica, which is scheduled for October 15. .
The news of the alleged harassment also surprised Famalicão’s players, as they were unable to point out such a complaint to the coach.
This is the first case of its kind known in Portuguese women’s football. It will have happened in the 2020-21 season, when Miguel Afonso coached de Vila Condenses in the second tier. The alleged victims are players between the ages of 18 and 20. One of them, and according to the newspaper Publicreceived a text message of the coach asking if he likes men or women.
The Players Union said it was not aware of the specific case, but acknowledged that the situation now being denounced “is not surprising given the magnitude of the problem of sexual harassment in football”. and other past cases, which have been referred to the appropriate authorities. “For fear of reprisals or public exposure, they eventually remain silent. Unfortunately, sexual harassment is downplayed and if there is no firm response from the leaders when they are aware of suspicions, it will ultimately go unpunished. The necessary responses to the struggle,” it underlined. the president Joaquim Evangelista.
According to the DN, only one athlete sought out the union last season to find out what to do in the event of harassment, but without specifying whether she was a victim or simply aware of a situation.
Legislation and criminal framework: 1 year
After the case has become public, the Portuguese Football Federation has asked the Disciplinary Board to open disciplinary proceedings for questions and remember that there is an anonymous reporting platform for harassment cases and since July the FPF regulations provide for penalties for harassment cases.
Section 126-B states that a manager or other sports agent “who” harasses another sports agent “by engaging in unwanted conduct of a sexual nature, verbal, non-verbal or physical, shall be punished with a suspension of three months to one year”.
One year is also the penalty. Sexual harassment is included in Article 170 of the Criminal Code, referring to the offense of sexual harassment: “Harassment is considered a situation in which a person is exposed to a climate or environment of harassment, of shame in any way, in which being subjected to attitudes that humiliating and degrading one’s dignity, which translates into unwanted sexual behavior.”
Since it is not a public crime, there is no complaint. It provides for situations of exhibitionism, verbalizations of a sexual nature and physical contact and “shall be punished by imprisonment of up to 1 year or a fine of up to 120 days, if a more severe penalty does not apply under another statutory provision”.
Article 29 of the Labor Code also defines sexual harassment in the workplace as “unwanted conduct of a sexual nature, verbal, non-verbal or physical” and with the same criminal law framework as Article 170.
Observatory: two cases in two years
According to data from the National Observatory on Violence Against Athletes, which a online of anonymous reports, 26 reports have been made since September 2020, most of them women and most (more than 14) victims of physical violence or sexual abuse and in the context of training. Of these complaints, only two were football related, without specifying whether they were male or female.
Source: DN
