The Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAD) on Wednesday revoked the two-match closed-door penalty imposed by the Portuguese Football Federation’s Disciplinary Board on Boavista, from the I Liga, for discriminatory behaviour.
The Bessa club was sanctioned on June 14 following a disciplinary procedure for incidents verified during the draw against Estoril Praia (1-1), on September 27, 2021, of the seventh round of the 2021/22 edition of the top echelon.
According to the verdict published on its official website, the TAD believes that the Black Panthers’ cheerleader “displayed racist attitudes”, chanting “sounds imitating monkeys”, but “it has not been proven” that the SAD ” promoting, approving or tolerating such chants”.
That incident occurred in the 70th minute of the match, when Boavista supporters “identified with signature signs” in the south stand “sang the sound imitating monkeys for about 10 seconds” to Portuguese-Cape Verdean Chiquinho, the then striker of Estoril.
After 90+1 minutes, when Romário Baró was about to enter the field to replace Bruno Lourenço, the current ‘chess player’ player, another affectionate supporter of the home club uttered “racist and xenophobic insults” towards the Luso-Guinean midfielder.
The federation invoked the violation of the 113th article of the disciplinary rules of the Portuguese professional football league to impose two closed-door matches and a fine of 38,250 euros on Boavista, which had the opposite result in another identical trial.
Last week, the “chess pieces” saw TAD uphold the penalty of one game behind closed doors, plus a fine of 2,040 euros, for failing to fulfill its duties in the confrontations held at Estádio do Bessa, in Porto, against Moreirense ( 1-0), on December 19, 2021, of the 15th matchday, and Vizela (2-2), on February 6, of the 21st matchday.
Source: DN
