The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the punishment of coach Miguel Afonso for sexual harassment and discrimination

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAD) upheld the decision of the Disciplinary Board (CD) of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) to suspend Miguel Afonso, former coach of the Famalicão women’s team, for 35 months for sexual harassment and discrimination.

Miguel Afonso was punished with a 35-month suspension and a €5,100 fine by the FPF CD for “committing five very serious disciplinary offenses” resulting from “discriminatory behavior based on gender and/or sexual orientation” on 3 November. 2022.

The 41-year-old technician contested the penalty for TAD, which on Monday, according to a decision Lusa had access to that Monday, upheld the penalty, which dates back to the start of the 2020/21 season when it coached the Rio Avenue women’s formation.

“Under these conditions (…) a decision was made to dismiss the applicant’s appeal. [Miguel Afonso] and, as a consequence: The abandonment of the claim proposed by the Claimant, without recognizing the nullity and annulment to which he invokes, as proven and, therefore, the impugned decision in the part condemning the Claimant, retains in full, confirming such a provision in its precise terms, ” says this document.

Miguel Afonso was the target of complaints from Rio Ave players in the 2020/21 season, according to the newspaper Público, which gave rise to other complaints against former coach Bonitos de Amorim (2019/20) and Ovarense (2021/22), and later, Famalicão which disqualified him.

On February 1, TAD also confirmed the punishment imposed by CD FPF on Famalicão manager Samuel Costa, also for sexual harassment and discrimination against two footballers, a year and a half suspension for three very serious offenses and a €3,060 fine.

Before joining the Famalicao at the start of last season, 37-year-old Samuel Costa worked for Vitoria de Guimarães (2020/21) and Valadares Gaia (2021/22).