“Shameful”, “a farce”, “We hit rock bottom”: the European press is indignant after Belenenses – Benfica – L’Équipe.fr

“Shameful” (Gazzetta Dello Sport), ” a joke “ (The Guardian), “The match that should never have been played” (Marca) … With fourteen players absent due to Covid-19, Belenenses was forced to field a team of nine players (including his third goalkeeper as a striker) to face the eleven of Benfica on Saturday in the Portuguese Championship, a match, “The strangest of the year” (Sportske Jutarnji, Croatia), finally interrupted just after half-time when the modest Lisbon team were down 7-0.

History has traveled the world. This is the second subject of the football page of the Brazilian newspaper’s website. O Globo, after the Copa Libertadores final won by Palmeiras. The European press and the networks are also suffocating by reporting this “Unusual and unprecedented situation” (Mundo Deportivo).

Only seven Belenenses players returned after the break and one of them remained on the ground during the restart. Noting his injury, the referee was forced to stop the charges, the laws of the game requiring at least 7 players per team. “The joke is over”, commented RMC Portugal on his “live”.

How is this situation “Weird” (journalist Amos Murphy on his Twitter account), “Absurd” (Arthur Quezada, Brazilian journalist on twitter), see this “Mess” (journalist Colin Millar, ditto) could it have happened? In Portugal, the press gives voice (“A sad episode for football” writing In Bola, “We hit rock bottom” deplores Record) and the floor to the actors of the pantalonnade.

After communicating to the Football League “That we did not want to play this meeting, we were told that we had eight players able to play” and that the fact of “Not appearing could be considered an unjustified absence”, explains the president of Belenenses, Rui Pedro Soares in the columns of Record.

In the same newspaper, Rui Costa, the president of Benfica, plays defense and then attack. Defense : “Benfica is in no way responsible for this black page which makes us ashamed. “ Attack: “The DGS (general directorate of health) and the League did not cancel the match and we could not do it ourselves ”, explains the former attacking midfielder, elected president a few weeks ago.

Portuguese players’ union is furious, reports In Bola. “What happened tonight is absolutely unacceptable and cannot happen again”, thunders its president Joaquim Evangelista. “There are values ​​which are more important than any competition or calendar requirement, namely the health of the athletes and the integrity of the competition”, he continues, before calling the League and the health authorities for an emergency meeting “Aimed at establishing a procedure capable of avoiding barbarities such as that which occurred this (Saturday) evening “.