Porto fined for match fixing
The Portuguese champions are fined in the wake of the corruption scandal.
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| Although he was manager at the time Jose Mourinho has not been implicated in the scandal [GALLO/GETTY] |
Portuguese football authorities have relegated Boavista and deducted points from FC Porto and Leiria for attempting to fix league matches in the countries biggest ever football scandal.
The league’s disciplinary committee ruled that Porto tried to bribe referees in two matches in the 2003-04 season, and deducted six points from club, which will still secure its third straight league title this weekend.
It also fined the club $230,000 and barred chairman Jorge Pinto da Costa from the bench during matches for two years.
Boavista was relegated to the second division and fined $278,000 after being found guilty of trying to coerce referees in three games in the 2003-04 season.
Its chairman at the time, Joao Loureiro, was suspended for four years and fined $39,000.
Leiria, also a top-flight club but unable to escape relegation this year, was found guilty of trying to bribe match officials the same season and was docked three points while fined $61,700.
Its chairman was suspended for one year.
Five referees were also found guilty of corruption. They were handed suspensions of between two-and-a-half and six years.
The sanctions were to take effect within three working days unless appeals were lodged.
Denials all round
All three clubs denied the charges.
Porto won one of the two games that were investigated and drew the other on its way to clinching the championship title under then coach Jose Mourinho.
The charges were taken from a lawsuit brought by Portugal’s public prosecutor against Porto’s chairman for alleged attempted bribery.
No date has been set for the trial.
Pinto da Costa has denied the allegations. Mourinho is not mentioned in the league charges or in the lawsuit.
The points deduction will not hurt Porto, as it will still maintain a 14-point lead going into Sunday’s final round.
The disciplinary committee did not disclose details of its investigations.
The committee’s president Ricardo Costa said officials questioned 85 people during the investigation and compiled a case file containing almost 1,000 pages.
“We feel we have made a positive contribution to football in Portugal,” he said.