THE Benfica will demand from the Disciplinary Council (CD) of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) the decriminalization of Jhon Durán, expelled after the victory over Santa Clara (2-1), in the I League, a club source told Lusa today.
“Benfica will demand from the CD the decriminalization of Durán. The images are clear: the player did not have any attitude that justifies the expulsion”, informed a source from the ‘reds’, moments after the victory with a comeback in the Azores, in the closing match of the ninth round of the championship.
A substitute used in the team coached by Marco Silva, the 22-year-old Colombian striker was sent off by referee Cláudio Pereira shortly after the end of the match, after a disagreement with Brazilian Luis Fernando, who scored Santa Clara’s goal and was also punished with a straight red card.
In addition to these two athletes, whose altercation spread to members of the two teams on the pitch, the ‘judge’ of the Aveiro association also expelled Gonçalo Santos, Benfica’s assistant coach, and Mário Branco, general director for ‘red’ professional football, as well as Tiago Pinto, Santa Clara analyst, according to the game sheet published on the official website of the Portuguese Professional Football League (LPFP) on the Internet.
In Ponta Delgada, Luis Fernando gave the islanders a penalty in the 32nd minute, but the Greek Vangelis Pavlidis, in the 62nd, and the Argentine Gianluca Prestianni, in the 68th, reversed the score in favor of the ‘reds’, who won for the second consecutive round and remain in second place.
Benfica has 22 points, against 27 from national champion and isolated leader FC Porto, while Santa Clara lost to the I League for the first time and is in fourth place, with the same 18 as Sporting, third placed.
