It’s official: Benfica will play against Marseille in France without their fans. The decision is unusual but not unprecedented for the Reds, who have already played twice this year without Benfica fans in the stands.
The clashes seen in previous games may have contributed to the position, which this time came not from UEFA, but from the French authorities.
Several people were injured as a result of torches thrown in Milan
Last season, some Benfica fans experienced a moment that resulted in several injuries while watching the game between the Reds and Inter Milan in Italy.
In the second part of the match, torches were thrown towards the stands where Inter fans were. As a result of the incident, several people were injured, including an eight-year-old child.
Before the start of the match, almost 20 arrests of Portuguese fans were recorded.
Benfica began their European journey without crowd support
Interestingly, for that match in Milan, Benfica was punished by being banned from hosting fans at the San Siro. This year, the Eagles met Inter again, but without the support of fans.
Torches abandoned in the Basque Country
UEFA’s punishment against Inter did not appear to have affected Benfica fans, who again provoked disrespect in the Champions League match against Real Sociedad after two matches.
The fans did not respond to the request of the club, which asked for exemplary behavior before the game.
Some Benfica fans present at the Anoeta stadium in the Basque Country again threw torches at areas where rival fans were present. In addition to the stadium riot in Spain, the Spanish club responded on social media. “Shame, Benfica fans,” they wrote.
Defenders Otamendi and Antonio Silva even had to ask the fans to calm down, and the stadium loudspeakers announced that the match could be interrupted.
Real Sociedad identified several fans throwing torches. Before the match, four fans were arrested for clashes.
Once again fans were banned from entering the stadium
Due to disrespect in Spain, Benfica were banned from taking fans to the RB Salzburg stadium as punishment from UEFA. However, several dozen fans were present at the Eagles’ meeting.
Confrontations also in Portugal
The Reds have also drawn contempt on Portuguese soil this season. In November, after the reception against Inter, cAbout 50 men dressed in black and armed with wooden batons vandalized a hotel near Lisbon airport.
The perpetrators of the attack were Benfica fans, known as “randoms”, who were following Inter Milan fans.
Author: morning Post
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.