Mental.Ultras attack Sporting Lisbon players and manager

[The39thStep]

Anywhere between 30-50 ultras marched into the Sporting training ground and physically attacked the players. Das Bost their leading goalscorer required 5-8 stitches for head wounds . They've got the Portuguese Cup Final Sunday but its inevitable now that players are likely to leave the club after this . The President of Sporting is a loudmouth crackpot , he's publicly named and shamed players calling for them to be dropped and he's now threatening to sue the President of the Portuguese Parliament for slander.Sporting lost there last game and lost their Champions League spot , they'll be in Europa next season.
Chronicle of a sad day for Sporting Clube de Portugal

 

[dessiato]

Anywhere between 30-50 ultras marched into the Sporting training ground and physically attacked the players. Das Bost their leading goalscorer required 5-8 stitches for head wounds . They've got the Portuguese Cup Final Sunday but its inevitable now that players are likely to leave the club after this . The President of Sporting is a loudmouth crackpot , he's publicly named and shamed players calling for them to be dropped and he's now threatening to sue the President of the Portuguese Parliament for slander.Sporting lost there last game and lost their Champions League spot , they'll be in Europa next season.
Chronicle of a sad day for Sporting Clube de Portugal

A bad day for Portuguese football. As a Porto supporter I understand that there's lots of politics and dodgy dealing in the game, there's never an excuse for attacking your own players though.

 

[The39thStep]

A bad day for Portuguese football. As a Porto supporter I understand that there's lots of politics and dodgy dealing in the game, there's never an excuse for attacking your own players though.

Porto have been immense this season.

 

[editor]

More here: Sporting Lisbon: Players agree to play Portuguese Cup final after attack

Portuguese football journalist Jose Manuel Delgado speaking to BBC World Service

The player in the worst condition was Dost. He was hit on the head and had to have seven or eight stitches. Other players like Argentina international Marcos Acuna, and coach Jorge Jesus, were also hit by the hooligans. It was an unbelievable scene for 10 or 15 minutes, hell on the Sporting academy.

The players will play on Sunday. But they also said they would take all legal actions according to the situation. They can maybe break their contract with Sporting and leave immediately, without Sporting receiving anything - players worth 200m euros from several national teams.

Sporting is a prestigious club and they are in shock. Their president described the situation as "boring", today all the Portuguese press speak of that.

The president of Portugal said it is something shameful for the country and the image of the country.

 

[dessiato]

When I lived in Porto the feelings were that Porto hated Benfica who hated Porto. Everyone thought that Sporting was liked a little because they were OK, not massively exciting, but never dull. This changes a lot. Most will be horrified by this behaviour, most will support the players, most will want strong actions to be taken against the perpetrators. Let's hope that is what happens.

 

[tommers]

Fuck me. And we thought Arsenal fans were bad.

Their president is a lunatic.

 

[The39thStep]

Sporting's share price has dropped by 17%. Apparantly some 20 odd ultras have now been arrested . Funny thing is is that although Sporting finished third they won the League Cup, made the semis of the Europa League and are in the Cup Final Sunday, which isnt that bad a season really.

 

[dessiato]

Sporting's share price has dropped by 17%. Apparantly some 20 odd ultras have now been arrested . Funny thing is is that although Sporting finished third they won the League Cup, made the semis of the Europa League and are in the Cup Final Sunday, which isnt that bad a season really.

Their season has, arguably, been as good as Porto. Maybe we Portista should give the players a bit of a kicking. You know, para encorajar os outros

 

[The39thStep]

Their season has, arguably, been as good as Porto. Maybe we Portista should give the players a bit of a kicking. You know, para encorajar os outros

The League is the League though , thats the most important thing to win and breaking Benficas four year stranglehold on it was a real achievement. Don't know about kicking Chelsea but I've a grim sense of another underwhelming display against a team that we really should be beating into tomorrows FA Cup.

 

[ska invita]

Just did a quick search to see if Portuguese football has any match fixing stories and at a very quick glance and this story came up including top teams Rio Ave and Benefica
Reports: Rio Ave players charged in match-fixing scam
its as if football players arent paid enough

 

[The39thStep]

Just did a quick search to see if Portuguese football has any match fixing stories and at a very quick glance and this story came up including top teams Rio Ave and Benefica
Reports: Rio Ave players charged in match-fixing scam
its as if football players arent paid enough

Wolves are just about to sign Pele from Rio Ave so hope hes not one of those accused. Rio Ave were subject to an investigation about betting patterns against Benfica last year but I dont think anything came of it?

 

[dessiato]

There's been rumours of corruption ever since I moved to Porto 12 years ago.

 

[The39thStep]

Things you couldnt make up. Sporting got beat in the Portugal final by Aves, a team who have spent only three years in the Portuguese top flight since 1930.Bit like Bournemouth beating Spurs or Liverpool in a final this season

 

[dessiato]

Things you couldnt make up. Sporting got beat in the Portugal final by Aves, a team who have spent only three years in the Portuguese top flight since 1930.Bit like Bournemouth beating Spurs or Liverpool in a final this season

I didn't see the match so cannot comment on the on pitch performance, but I wonder how much the Sporting players were psychologically affected by the attacks. I wonder if they just couldn't get their heads in place for the match. I can't help but feel that I'd be going through the motions rather than giving it my all.

 

[Casual Observer]

Spanish football club presidents can be a bit temperamental. Jesus Gil, former Athletico Madrid president, put a live baby crocodile on the table at a board meeting. He said the team needed more bite.

 

[The39thStep]

I didn't see the match so cannot comment on the on pitch performance, but I wonder how much the Sporting players were psychologically affected by the attacks. I wonder if they just couldn't get their heads in place for the match. I can't help but feel that I'd be going through the motions rather than giving it my all.

I think they are going to lose a few players in the close season.

 

[dessiato]

I think they are going to lose a few players in the close season.

If this how some supporters behave, who can blame them? The financial cost to the club is going to be high, let alone the cost in player confidence on pitch, and consequently club success.

 

[The39thStep]

Couldn't make it up part 2. Aves the Cup winners didn't register the documents required with the Portuguese Federation in time so they're not able to play in the Europa League.

 

[Reiabuzz]

Das Bost? What a fucking excellent name for a striker.

 

[dessiato]

Couldn't make it up part 2. Aves the Cup winners didn't register the documents required with the Portuguese Federation in time so they're not able to play in the Europa League.

That's dreadful! What a disaster for them. So much prestige and money lost.

 

[The39thStep]

Petition signatures now being gathered by some supporters for the Presidents dismissal. For those interested a balanced account of his years as President
Sporting’s Bruno de Carvalho years: the toughest of endings

 

[Pickman's model]

There's been rumours of corruption ever since I moved to Porto 12 years ago.

how curious they started then

 

[The39thStep]

An update:Rui Patricio the SP and Portuguese national team keeper thought his agent had secured a transfer away from Sporting to Wolves however the SP president refused the Wolves offer. Patricio then ended up writing what was said to be a 34 page letter to the President detailing, in his view , some of the events at the club. I've had to google translate some extracts so the English is a bit dodgy:

Players started sharing their message on social media [the one criticizing the president for publicly shaming the team]. The President responded on Facebook with:

SPOILED BRATS, LET'S SOLVE THIS THEN...
At Sporting CP this is not a "Replública das Bananas".
All athletes that shares the post are immediatly suspended, and will face the club's discipline.
I'm done with attitudes worthy of spoiled brats that don't respect anything or anybody.
These spoiled brats think they will go far, but this time my patience is over for everyone that thinks they are above the club and any criticism.

"After the game, when we arrived at the airport there reaction of some fans (Fernando Mendes, ex-leader of Juve Leo ( SP supporters club/ultras) and two more) that asked about Acuña (an SP Player) in these terms: 'where's that son of a whore? We want to talk to him...
At that time Battaglia asked them to calm down, saying that the game already ended and after asking why the fans had message criticizing the team instead of messages of supports... the discussion became heated with the members of the Ultras saying they do what they want and the players just have to play.
Me and William as captains tried to calm down the situation, but there were people saying 'next week we will pay you a vistit'. All of this was seen by Sporting directors.

Practiced was scheduled to 18h, while the coach was in the field preparing the practice, by 17h30 the players were headed to the gym. When the gym session was over we were headed to the locker rooms to get ready for practice, all of a sudden, men start entering in the locker room, assaulting players, staff members and screaming stuff like:

'YOU ARE SONS OF WHORES! SONS OF WHORES! FUCKERS! YOU ARE A PILE OF SHIT! WE WILL KILL YOU! YOU'RE ALL FUCKED! WE WILL BREAK YOUR TEETH! DON'T WIN ON SUNDAY AND YOU WILL SEE [what happens to you then]!

The men were around 40 individuals that locked up the players in the locker room, stopping them from leaving and started throwing torches of smoke.

Some of them grabbed William, assaulted him and asked him to take off the shirt because he wasn't worthy of it.

There was a big confusion, the aggressors started throwing 'petardos' assaulted players by punching, kicking, with belts and batons, throwing objects (the water machine was pulled off and thrown towards Battaglia )

4 individuals past by Bas Dost giving him a 'cool' sign with the finger but a 5th one started assaulting him, hitting him with a belt in the head.

Meanwhile the main coach that run towards the locker room was also assaulted. There was also torches thrown towards the player's and staff's cars.

It was chaos: Jorge Jesus was bleeding, Bas Dost as well, players were in panic, various staff members disorientated....

The clearer memory I have was that I was in the locker room, and heard a noise in the hallway, when all of a sudden people showed up screaming with the face covered. First they threw torches inside the lockerroom, after they entered they started assaulting the players and making threats. I was close to William and when one of them started hitting him I step in from of him to separate him from William, and he grabs my arm trying to put in my back, I was able to get free , then there was another one in that stopped in front of me and said "Do you want to go way, son of whore?", "we will break your teeth" and makes a gesture like he was about to hit me. Then Salin shows up and gets him away.

The truth is that we feared for our lives.

Patricio is pretty much suggesting in his letter that the President wound up elements in Juve Leo to intimidate and attack the players as a show of force for the President. At the moment 20 ( out of approx 40 attackers) of them have been arrested and face legal proceedings

Patricio ( and another squad member managed by the same agent ) has now said he has terminated his contract and is training with the national team. Jorge Jesus the coach has now left for a job in the Middle East, the club approached Phil Scolari but he turned them down, there has been an approach to Marcelo Bielsa. Expect further developments.

 

[The39thStep]

Another 3 key players (midfielder William Carvalho, winger Gelson Martins and midfielder Bruno Fernandes) have indicated that they want out and will walk .

 

[dessiato]

Another 3 key players (midfielder William Carvalho, winger Gelson Martins and midfielder Bruno Fernandes) have indicated that they want out and will walk .

Can't say I blame them. Could be the ruination of the club.

But thinking of the Boa Vista scandal a few years back, perhaps Sporting will be able to ride it out longer term.

 

[The39thStep]

Can't say I blame them. Could be the ruination of the club.

But thinking of the Boa Vista scandal a few years back, perhaps Sporting will be able to ride it out longer term.

Expect there will be lots of legal issues re contracts etc, attempts to oust the President and meanwhile if I can get a bet on Braga to finish third next season I will.

 

[dessiato]

Expect there will be lots of legal issues re contracts etc, attempts to oust the President and meanwhile if I can get a bet on Braga to finish third next season I will.

That's were I'd put my money. Dragoes, and those others for top two, third there's really only Braga now. It would be good to see one of the mid table teams up there though.

 

[The39thStep]

Well the President has gone, Carvalho was voted out and left decribing the ballot as "one of the greatest frauds ever seen" after 71% voted for him to leave. Before his departure Sporting appointed Siniša Mihajlović who has managed a fair few clubs including Inter, Sampadoria, Torino and Serbia. Also a fierce Serbian nationalist supporter of Arkan, Patrick Vierra accused him of racosm when he was a players, an out and out sexist and generally a man with a short fuse.The board now wish to terminate Mihajlovics contract sighting a 15 day buy and try clause in some regulation that theyve dug up.
Meanwhile there about 120m worth of players who say they have rescinded their contracts, only one Patricio has gone to another club , Wolves. The others are seeminglu up for grabs and any decent display in the World Cup could hasten their departure.

 

[The39thStep]

Not Sporting but Belenenses , one of only two clubs outside the top 3 of Sporting, Porto and Benfica to win the league. . Club splits into two- one with the first team and the Primeira Liga spot whilst the other club got the badge, the history, the stadium, and the majority of the fan support.
A tale of two Beléms

 

[dessiato]

Not Sporting but Belenenses , one of only two clubs outside the top 3 of Sporting, Porto and Benfica to win the league. . Club splits into two- one with the first team and the Primeira Liga spot whilst the other club got the badge, the history, the stadium, and the majority of the fan support.
A tale of two Beléms

This has got to be worth following. I wonder who will win in the long term. Bet it won't be Portuguese football.