Soccer-Angry Sporting cut official ties with rivals Benfica

Reuters

By Simon Curtis LISBON, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Sporting have suspended official relations with arch-rivals Benfica mainly due to an unsavoury incident in a recent futsal game. Sunday's 1-1 Lisbon soccer derby draw was disrupted when fans of both teams threw flares. Police had to act to quell trouble during and after the game but the root of the problems between the two clubs could be traced back further. On Saturday they met at the Estadio da Luz for a futsal derby and Sporting officials were taken aback by the unfurling of a banner by opposition fans that read "very light 96". That was a provocative reference to the 1996 Portuguese Cup final when a Sporting supporter was killed after being struck by a flare (very light). Benfica fans could be heard chanting "tomorrow there will be more" during the futsal game. "In defence of the most elementary human values and the dignity of Sporting we are left with no alternative than to cut diplomatic relations with Benfica and take the matter to the competent authorities," Sporting said in a news release on Wednesday. The club also deplored the fact Benfica directors who were present on Saturday, including president Luís Filipe Vieira, did not take action to have the banner removed. Worse followed as league leaders Benfica officially referred to the incident as "folklore". The initial reaction of third-placed Sporting, who are seven points off the pace, was to withdraw passes to Benfica directors, including former players Rui Costa and Nuno Gomes, for corporate hospitality at Sunday's derby. The Portuguese Football Federation fined Sporting 10,520 euros ($11,900) for "security irregularities" during the league game while Benfica were fined 6,044 euros for damage to the away section of the Estadio de Alvalade. Spats of this nature between the big two in Lisbon are not unheard of. None, however, have lasted as long as the 13-year break in relations in the early 1960s when Sporting accused their rivals of "stealing" the great Eusebio, a player they were convinced would be joining them. ($1 = 0.8846 Euros) (Editing by Tony Jimenez)