In a Tuesday statement on the club website, Sporting Clube de Portugal, known universally as Sporting Lisbon, announced it was “severing the institutional relationship” with rivals Sport Lisboa e Benfica, usually known simply as “Benfica.”
The Sporting Lisbon statement blamed the breakdown in relations on Benfica supporters present at Sunday’s match throwing fireworks in the direction of Sporting Lisbon supporters. A Sporting Lisbon spokesman said the disturbances during the Lisbon derby amounted to “attempted murder.”
What made Sunday’s disturbances worse, said the club statement, was a banner unfurled by Benfica supporters at Sunday’s match that read (translated) “Very Light 1996.” This was a tasteless reference, the statement continued, to the killing of Sporting Lisbon follower Rui Mendes during the 1996 final of the Portuguese Cup. Mendes lost his life as a result of being hit by a “very light” or firework thrown by a Benfica fan.
On top of that, the statement continued, during Sunday’s game, Benfica supporters could clearly be heard singing “amanhã há mais” — tomorrow there will be more — a clear threat to repeat the tragedy of 1996.
Sporting Lisbon has now referred Sunday’s incidents to football authorities in Portugal. What seems to have been the tipping point for the breakdown in relations between these two great Portuguese sporting institutions is the reaction of city rivals, Benfica. The Sporting Lisbon statement claimed that instead of condemning the attacks, a declaration from Benfica’s governing body referred to “the entire situation as “folklore,” which appeared to have little respect for the murder of Mendes in 1996 or his family.
Sunday’s match, before a crowd of 49,076, a record for the Lisbon derby, ended tied at 1-1. Jefferson Nascimento’s 87th minute score for Sporting Lisbon looked to have done the trick but Benfica were not to be outdone. Jardel’s goal on the stroke of full time earned a share of the points for the visitors.
The result left Benfica four points clear of nearest rivals FC Porto in Portugal’s Primeira Liga. Sporting Lisbon remains in third position, seven points adrift of Benfica.
