On Wednesday, Sporting denounced the discriminatory actions and said they supported Famalican footballer Otavio Ataide, who denounced the racist slurs on social media after playing against the Lions, as well as “the millions of people who are attacked daily”.
Sporting CP condemns any discriminatory action, regardless of origin or destination. So it was yesterday, so it is today, so it will always be. We were born that way, we grew up that way, we educate that way. It is written in our DNA and in Article 3 of our Bylaws,” the Lions said in a statement posted on social media.
Brazilian Famalican footballer Otavio Ataide revealed on Tuesday that he had received racist abuse on his social media following Sunday’s game against Sporting CP in Portugal’s first football league.
“Day 27.08.2023 [no domingo]Shortly after the game between Sporting CP and Famalican, I was seriously insulted on a social network. Fans of the team we just met sent me racist and xenophobic messages,” the 21-year-old center wrote on his Instagram page.
Sporting guarantees that it supports all those who “raise their voice and take action” for being the target of any kind of discrimination or violence, noting that such cases are repeated on social networks, but “they do not end in the digital world.” nor in the world of sports.
“We support Otavio Ataide. And we support all the millions of people who are being attacked the same or similar every day. But we go further: we encourage everyone who, as in this case, has joined in and raised their voice to always do so. So assume this daily and constant struggle,” the document emphasizes.
Sporting are also asking for a “raise your voice” against “aggressive behavior” on national pitches.
“Let’s all raise our voices against all the aggressive behavior that we see on the pitch every week in Portugal from managers and technical teams. Or beyond, including physical attacks on media outlets,” he concludes.
In Lisbon, in the match of the third round of the First League of Portugal, Sporting beat Famalican with a score of 1:0.