The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) will appeal the amnesty applied to coach Miguel Afonso, accused of sexual harassment, by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAD), a source from the organization confirmed to Lusa this Saturday.
The TAD decided to lift the suspension of Miguel Afonso, accused in a case of sexual harassment of players he trained in Rio Ave, based on the amnesty decree for the visit of Pope Francis to Portugal, on the occasion of World Youth Day ( JMJ).
Contacted by Lusa, an official source from the FPF confirmed the appeal before the Southern Central Administrative Court (TCAS) against the decision of the TAD to withdraw the five disciplinary infractions committed by the former coach of the Famalicão women’s team, Miguel Afonso, who had been sanctioned with a 35-month suspension and a fine of 5,100 euros.
On July 11, the TAD had maintained the 35-month suspension of Miguel Afonso, former coach of the Famalicão women’s team, by the Disciplinary Council (CD) of the FPF, for sexual harassment and discrimination.
Miguel Afonso was sanctioned with a suspended sentence of 35 months and a fine of 5,100 euros by the FPF CD, for “committing five very serious disciplinary infractions”, derived from “discriminatory behavior based on gender and/or sexual orientation”, on 3 November, 2022.
The 41-year-old coach challenged the sentence before the TAD, which upheld the sanction, whose actions date back to the beginning of the 2020/21 season, when he coached the Rio Ave women’s team.
Miguel Afonso was the subject of complaints from Rio Ave players in 2020/21, reported the newspaper Público, which gave way to others about the former coach of Bonitos de Amorim (2019/20) and Ovarense (2021/22), and, later , Famalicão, who suspended him.
On October 9, Miguel Afonso requested amnesty from the sentence before the FPF CD, which did not consider the request, while the TAD analyzed this appeal and stated that the CD’s argument was not valid, since the appellant had not yet been convicted of any crime. and the existence of any criminal proceedings is not known.
Thus, the TAD considered the infractions for which Miguel Afonso was convicted and which have now been extinguished, covered by the amnesty.
Source: TSF
