In a week, Portuguese football was rocked by three incidents involving supporters. One child allegedly forced to watch a game naked in Famalicão, another to cry on his father’s lap, forced to leave his seat in Estoril-FC Porto and the attack on the family’s car Sergio Conceicao. As president of APDA, how do you view these matters?
It is necessary to establish facts and not to judge photos and moments. These three cases are before the proper authorities, and I hope they get to the bottom of the matter so we can fix what is deeply wrong. The way football treats its fans needs to be rethought in a sincere and profound way, without the weight of the jerseys we all wear. The APDA will not comment on violence if it does not know the truth. We all want kids to play soccer in a healthy way because they have lived the future of soccer on the couch and that’s why the social alarm went louder. But why not draw attention to the ticket price for a child to go to an I Liga game?
Are these incidents a reflection of society or a football and club micro-society? After all, football concentrates more than 90% of the incidents…
In proportion, it is normal that there are more cases in football, because it gathers the most fans on the bench… And of course it is a reflection of society. If there are anthropologists and sociologists who study issues related to adepts, it is because it is important to frame the adept socially and culturally. Behavior is a mirror of society, but football on the bench has its own perils and environment, which need the right framework.
The supporters were identified. They can be fined, banned from stadiums and criminally prosecuted. He’s coming? Is it a punishment for us to go there?
Whoever causes an incident in the stands in Portugal has different types of responsibility, disciplinary, administrative offenses and in the latter case criminal. The responsible authorities will certainly intervene. Only in this way will those who prevaricate will be punished, but before that it is necessary to establish facts. More than a social alarm, it is imperative that the state, entities such as the League and Federation and clubs step in and do what is their responsibility. Preventive action is necessary.
League president Pedro Proença and foreign minister João Paulo Correia dismissed the incidents, and they were criticized for their precocious conviction…
More than statements of rejection, we need to understand if we have the cure for the evils of this football. We all have responsibilities. The State, which guarantees this area, must act. There are hundreds of incidents every weekend in stadiums from the north to the south of the country that nobody cares about.
And what is “the evil of this football”? Was the adept’s card not medicine?
We have sentenced the fan card to death. Peace to his soul, for there was no point in fighting violence as they said. It has been a failed measure across Europe since the 1980s. What is wrong? The mentality of clubs towards fans. Imposing daily rules on the attitude of supporters, subjecting the party to safety rules. We suffer from stigmata. Populist measures in the name of violence that is actually questionable. A law that only creates obligations. A police force with little training to deal with supporters and organized groups. The lack of hospitality as captured in the St. Dennis.
Has the APDA already told this to whom? Has it been heard and considered by sports and legislative bodies?
There is a dialogue with the Liga Portugal and with the Authority for the Prevention and Combating Violence in Sport, but the problem is in a 2009 law that is tired of being amended and without a worthy revision, which then leads to rules and regulations AD hoc, which in fact lead to questionable situations and need clarification. And fans are always on it. Entering the venue with a visiting club shirt, flag or tambourine, which is not illegal in any way, is subject to the interpretation of the promoter, the police or any other stewart. This is so much more serious than what happened in Famalicão.
You mean football treats fans badly?
It treats badly and the empty stadiums are an example of that. The promoter of the event should take care of what his greatest asset is – the fan – and not use it as a medium of exchange. We have an archaic model in terms of mentality, but also a cool model. It is necessary to interpret the articles of the law in favor of the adepts and not against them. We just don’t have to talk about fans anymore when something negative happens, knowing that the bad fan has the upper hand over the good fans. Why not encourage the promotion of the values of the good adept? They exist on every bank. In Germany, clubs have supporters’ sections and voting rights at meetings. It will take a long time to get there, but this is the way and you don’t have to be afraid to get the ball rolling.
Do fans have more duties than rights? And what rights do they actually have?
When the APDA was formed, we felt it was crucial to draft a statement of rights and obligations for fans, as the legislation has clearer duties, including the obligation to purchase a ticket and not contest the price. Nowadays everything or almost everything drives the adept away. What is an adept entitled to? Celebrating victories and suffering defeats… And above all being subject to decisions that will never happen to him. When the security part overlaps with the party and the joy, I’d say all is already lost. You have to realize that a lot of people don’t go to football for that reason.
Source: DN
