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Emmanuel Boateng flagged a case of racism in a Primeira Liga match between Vitoria and Rio Ave, and an official investigation has been launched.
APCVD have announced they have begun an official inquiry into the alleged racist insults Emmanuel Boateng faced in the game between Vitoria and Rio Ave on Saturday, January 7th.
The 26-year-old Ghanaian winger who plays for Rio Ave in the Primeira Liga claimed he faced racial insults from Vitoria fans, prompting an 'administrative offence proceeding' by the Authority for the Prevention and Combat of Violence in Sport (APCVD), the Portuguese authority on such matters.
APCVD takes action
Following the incident on Saturday, the APCVD swung into action, investigating the “insults of a discriminatory nature and acts of racism” faced by Emmanuel Boateng.
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The APCVD released a statement confirming the start of the disciplinary process and their determination to get to the bottom of it:
“In view of the widely disseminated news in the media regarding insults of a discriminatory nature and acts of racism in the match between Vitória Sport Clube - Rio Ave Futebol Clube,” their statement started.
“Which took place last Saturday, January 7, at the D. Afonso stadium Henriques in Guimaraes, counting for the 15th day of the 1st League, with the denunciation of the practice of offences of an administrative nature being at stake.
“The Authority for the Prevention and Combat of Violence in Sport (APCVD) initiated an administrative offence procedure with a view to ascertaining the possible perpetrators of the facts denounced and the responsibilities arising therefrom.”
Racial insults against Emmanuel Boateng
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Emmanuel Boateng flagged the alleged incident and alerted the referee, Andre Narciso, in the 66th minute of the match between Rio Ave and Vitoria.
The distasteful incident allegedly happened after Boateng stayed on the ground following a challenge from two Vitoria players that the referee did not deem a foul.
He was close to the corner flag, a spot that placed him in proximity to the lower east stand and lower north stand of the Estadio D. Afonso Henriques, Vitoria's home ground, and according to his accounts of the incident, the insults came from that area of the stadium.
Boateng immediately informed the referee, who proceeded to stop the game, mandating an announcement through the stadium speakers condemning the act and warning against further misconduct before resuming the match.
Vitoria's stance on the matter
The club whose fans have been accused of racist insults have asked for all the facts to be investigated properly to avoid a hasty judgment.
“The situation that occurred in the 66th minute of the game between Vitória SC and Rio Ave FC deserves a joint reflection,” Vitoria said in their statement.
“On a topic that cannot be treated lightly at the risk of losing weight and importance in the increasingly extreme society in which we live.
“The alleged events were not perceived by the refereeing team, by the police authorities, by the game delegates, by the teams that played the game or by the public, something that will certainly be reported in the police, arbitration and League delegates reports."
The club has asked for all the facts of the case to be properly investigated to avoid a hasty judgment, as they think it is a sensitive issue.
“So the speed with which the media made judgments in fact should be rethought and more careful, as it ends up colluding with the trivialization of behaviours that have no place in society and in football.
“The fight against racism is everyone's fight and only by assuming responsibility for the role of each player in the game, whether players, coaches, referees, delegates, public or media, can we be closer to banning abusive behaviour in the game.”
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This is not Vitoria's first involvement with APCVD in this light. They were sanctioned by APCVD in a similar case in October 2020, involving Porto's striker Moussa Marega. The club were sentenced to play three games behind closed doors at the time.
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