Several fights and attacks with the entity’s ultras as protagonists forced the suspension
Andrés Villas-Boas, who will run for president, speaks of “absolute shame”
Portuguese football is experiencing a tough hangover Tuesday after the very serious incidents that occurred at the Porto General Assembly held last night at the Dragao Arena, and which had to be suspended due to several fights and attacks between fans present, many of the entity’s ultra group.
One of the voices that has been raised against these unfortunate images is that of André Villas-Boas, the former club coach and present at the assembly, who confirmed that he wants to run for election as president. of the blue and white club while regretting the incidents.
“One of the darkest days in the history of Porto. Without shame, scruples or respect for the members and fans of the entity“he wrote on social networks.
The conflicts between the blue-collar social masses led to fights and continuous attacks in the pavilion where an assembly was taking place that had to be suspended. before the events escalated.
André Villas-Boas commented today on what happened, without ceasing to regret “the attacks” of a “praetorian guard” on a Porto fan. The former coach of the ‘Dragons’ and possible candidate for next year’s elections also He stressed that the governing bodies of the entity observed everything “imdaunted and serene.”
“I am still overwhelmed by emotions, I will try to respond with the seriousness associated with FC Porto. What happened yesterday was absolutely regrettable and an internal defeat for the club’s management bodies.who undauntedly witnessed multiple attacks and intimidations by a Praetorian guard against Porto members,” he noted.
“I sincerely ask the authorities, the Public Ministry, the Ministry of Internal Administration, the IPDJ, the Secretary of State for Sports, to urgently request [las imágenes] from the surveillance cameras of the Estádio do Dragão, Dragão Arena, and proceed with an investigation into the attacks and acts of barbarity that occurred last night,” he added.
And he continued: “From expired credentials that should not have been processed, to the presence of non-members of FC Porto, to a total logistical disorganization, evident in the transfer of a room that was not capable of hosting all the club members to go to the Dragão Arena… It is the reflection of a decision that was probably made by the president of the Board of Directors of the General Assembly, and that I had no idea how many partners and associates we were going to have. “The associates gathered en masse yesterday because they wanted to express their feelings, and they were denied this right to express themselves freely and safely.”
Villas-Boas hoped that the incidents would not be repeated. “This is an extraordinary assembly that is now scheduled for the 20th and that cannot function like this one, which must be carried out with the FC Porto membership card, with the presentation of the citizen card, in the most orderly and safe manner. possible so that people can freely express what they think about the proposed modification of the statutes.
The former coach of the Dragons pointed out that the club He is a hostage “of a praetorian guard” and also asked for “deep reflection.”
“The images we saw yesterday, of a 19-year-old boy, who probably had his right to vote taken away, crying and ashamed for his club, are a reflection of the situation we are experiencing. We are hostages of a praetorian guard that persists in intimidating some members of FC Porto, who demonstrate that they want, at will, to exercise their right to vote, to express themselves and to be free. This, in essence, has to end. A deep reflection must be done on the logistical point of view, from the accreditation point of view. There is also a reflection that the Superior Council itself must make, because yesterday it was also evident that the majority of the effective members of the Superior Council, among them some illustrious public and political figures, are not present,” he concluded.