Estoril Praia regretted “deeply” the incidents that occurred on Saturday during the match against FC Porto, in which a man and a boy (Porto fans) were insulted in the stands of the António Coimbra da Mota stadium.
In a statement issued at the end of Sunday, Estoril Praia “condemns each and every one of the acts of violence” and addresses an “apology” to the father for the situation experienced by his daughter, “wishing that he never cease to appreciate the true essence of sport”.
The club condemns “the attitudes of those who cannot control their emotions and allows the provocative attitudes of alleged football fans to become a regrettable moment of aggression that has no place in a football stadium.” As well as “all the acts carried out by alleged soccer fans who see sporting events as privileged spaces to exude hatred and practice behaviors that we all consider unacceptable in society.”
Estoril Praia promises to continue appealing to all the fans of the clubs who visit the António Coimbra da Mota stadium to join “in sharing respect for fair play, as has also happened with the vast majority of opposing fans”.
The club is also prepared to “continue collaborating with the competent authorities in the search for adequate solutions that can prevent this type of episode from being repeated in a sports venue.”
This Sunday, after the match the day before between Estoril Praia and FC Porto, the Secretary of State for Youth and Sports and president of the League, Pedro Proença, repudiated the “unacceptable intolerance” experienced in the stands of António Coimbra the motorcycle
João Paulo Correia added that the Authority for the Prevention and Combat of Violence in Sports “will act against the behavior of the fans in question”, promising to continue “fighting tirelessly” against this type of incident.
The Authority for the Prevention and Fight against Violence in Sport will act against the conduct of the fans in question. We will continue to fight tirelessly.
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– João Paulo Correia (@jpcorreia_sejd) September 18, 2022
Pedro Proença, for his part, underlined: “We will have to be intransigent in defending these values, sure, however, that change begins in each one of us, in the reflection on what sport and citizenship are part of. substantial part of this path. We will not stop defending what is right and demanding the means and conditions to make it effective. The cry of a terrified child, clutching his father’s arms, in a football stadium, should be enough to make us stop”.
This case, which relaunches the debate on violence in sport, comes days after the stoning of the family car of Sérgio Conceição, coach of FC Porto, and the episode in which a boy was forced to take off his Benfica shirt at the game against Famalicão. .
Source: TSF
