The Portuguese Professional Football League (LPFP) this Thursday expressed “regret” over the stabbing of a fan at the Estádio da Luz stadium in the match between Benfica and ABC, calling on those responsible for security to “strengthen preventive measures.”
“The Portuguese League regrets the incident in the stands of the Estádio da Luz stadium. […] culminating in the transport of the fan, fortunately in stable condition, to hospital,” the organization said in a statement.
The incident occurred during the break of the match between Benfica and ABC in the third round of Group B of the League Cup, which the Lisbon team won with a score of 4:1, and the victim was a 44-year-old man. case involving two fans.
“This fan was stabbed in the stomach, suffered minor injuries and, after the help of rescuers, was taken to the Santa Maria Hospital,” explained a source from the Lisbon Metropolitan Command (Cometlis) of the PSP.
The LPFP wished the fan a “speedy recovery” and thanked the emergency services at the scene for their “prompt intervention”, and also asked the host clubs to take special care to avoid similar problems.
“The Portuguese League calls on the authorities responsible for ensuring the safety of the game to quickly and effectively determine responsibility for what happened and strengthen preventive measures to ensure that similar situations do not happen again in Portuguese stadiums,” the organization added.
The man suspected of stabbing was no longer at the scene when police arrived and PSP is working to identify him, the same law enforcement source added.
Benfica “deeply regrets” the incident and said it had provided authorities with “all available information” so that the attacker could be found.