The prosecution has opened an investigation into women’s football coach Miguel Afonso, a prosecutor’s source confirmed to Lusa this Friday, a day after he was suspended for 35 months over allegations of intimidation of players.
Miguel Afonso, who was suspended as coach of the Famalicão women’s team, was punished on Thursday by the Disciplinary Board (CD) of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) for “talking five very serious disciplinary violations”, stemming from “discriminatory behavior based on gender and/or sexual orientation”with a suspension of 35 months and a fine of 5,100 euros.
Miguel Afonso, 40, was the subject of complaints from Rio Ave players in 2020/21, reported in Público newspaper, which gave rise to others about the former coach of Bonitos de Amorim (2019/20) and Ovarense (2021/22) ). ), and now Famalicão.
Also punished by the FPF-CD, Samuel Costa, director of Famalicão for women’s football, who worked at Vitória de Guimarães (2020/21) and at Valadares Gaia (2021/22), was suspended for one and a half years, for three very serious offenses, with a fine of 3,060 euros.
In the report of the grounds on which the sporting justice decision is based, the CD explains that Miguel Afonso “offended the dignity of the five victims, all under the age of 21, discriminated against them, being women and becoming recipients of their sexual pretensions according to a gender role assigned to them, not having access to their advances”while they are all aware that “not giving in to their advances can also harm them in terms of their sports practice, as has actually happened”.
As for Samuel Costa, identified as: Team managerThis one “he also exercised authority over the players” and “became abusive and discriminatory on the basis of their sexual orientation, causing them harm to the practice of sport”.
The case dates back to September, when football players who played in the Rio Ave women’s team in 2020/21, the actions against sexual harassment of Miguel Afonso, then coach of the women’s team of the club, with several players, from Vila Condenses and other emblems, denounced. complaints, subsequently, days later, Samuel Costa, after new complaints, to the FPF CD who filed lawsuits against both.
Source: DN
