On February 16, during the meeting between Porto on the lawn of Vitoria Guimaraes, the Franco-Malian footballer of FC Porto, Moussa Marega had decided to leave the field after being the target of racist shouts coming from the occupied stands by local supporters. Despite the intervention of his partners and his coach Sergio Conceiçao who tried to dissuade him, the player joined the locker room by attacking on the way to the tribune where the insults and whistles came from. A punch to react to the scourge of racism that plagues football in stadiums.
Exasperated, angry, not calmed by his teammates or by the words of his coach Sergio Conceiçao, Moussa Marega left the field in the 71st minute, under the bronca of the Guimaraes stadium, following racist cries against him. pic.twitter.com/01EHDMkV4Q
- RMC Sport (@RMCsport) February 16, 2020Just over two weeks after these incidents, the Portuguese League has spoken out on the sanctions imposed on Vitoria Guimaraes and the decisions are surprising. The club of the Lisutanian elite was fined a total of 18,000 euros during the evening. The local weekly Sàbado has released the details of the sanctions: 7,140 € are due to material damage following the throwing of seats, 4,017 € for the use of pyrotechnic devices, 2,678 € due to the exchange of torches between supporters of two clubs and… € 714 only for insults made by supporters against Marega. A sense of priorities that leaves you wondering.
A heavier penalty to come concerning monkey calls
The troubles of Vitoria Guimaraes, however, are not over. Disciplinary proceedings by the Portuguese Football Federation are still ongoing against the club concerning the cries of monkey. In the days following the incident, the soccer world had supported the 28-year-old, as well as the Leipzig supporters who had received Porto a few days after the match in Guimarães.
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- Racism in stadiums: Footballers' support for Marega
