Benfica fined over 3,000 euros for delays in the derby.

Benfica fined over 3,000 euros for delays in the derby against Sporting: chaos and controversy in Alvalade!

The derby between Benfica and Sporting, always one of the most anticipated moments in Portuguese football, was marked by an incident that goes far beyond the result on the pitch. The red team was penalized this week by the Disciplinary Council with a fine of 3,162 euros due to delays at the start of the match and halftime, a situation that caused outrage among fans and national football officials.

What happened? Although Benfica’s bus arrived late at the Estádio de Alvalade, this delay did not result in a penalty, as the initial delay in starting the match had been previously agreed upon by the members of both teams during the preparatory meeting for the match. However, Benfica could not escape the sanction. The club from Luz was fined for causing delays beyond what had been agreed, both at the start of the first half and at the beginning of the second.

According to the official report from the Disciplinary Council, the first delay occurred due to an issue with the equipment of a player from Benfica’s B team. “The first half began with a 2-minute delay due to the need to correct the equipment of players from the B team [Benfica] in the access tunnel,” the document states. Specifically, the application of adhesive tape to the socks of player number 30, Otamendi, caused this delay.

But the controversy did not stop there. The second half started with an even greater delay: three minutes, caused by the late arrival of Benfica’s players to the pitch, without any justification for the delay being provided. “The second half of the match began with a 3-minute delay due to the late arrival of the visiting club’s players to the playing area, without any reason being given for this,” the disciplinary report adds.

This incident raises serious questions about the organization and professionalism of the team in red, especially in a derby where punctuality and precision are crucial for the flow of the spectacle and for respecting the fans.

In addition to this incident, the derby also generated other relevant news. Benfica’s coach recalled the important victory in the League Cup and emphasized the need to maintain the “spirit and mentality” of his team to overcome the next challenge against Nun’Álvares. Furthermore, the individual highlight was Coman, who shone in the semi-final by scoring a hat-trick, while Ronaldo and Félix were starters.

Such delays and penalties are rare in top-tier matches and, moreover, in a classic as high-profile as Benfica-Sporting, which makes this episode even more shocking for fans and analysts of Portuguese football. The fine imposed aims to serve as a warning to prevent these situations from occurring again, preserving integrity and professionalism in national competitions.

With the derby still fresh in memory, Benfica will need to reflect on these organizational failures to avoid similar incidents tarnishing the club’s image and harming the sporting spectacle that millions of Portuguese passionately follow. The ball is in Luz’s court to prove that greatness is measured not only in titles, but also in respect for schedules and the rules of the game.

This article first appeared on Apito Final.