Lucas França accused a Sporting de Espinho supporter of uttering racist insults, and the match was briefly interrupted.
The proceedings regarding the alleged racist insults directed at Lucas França, a Benfica volleyball player, during the game against Sporting de Espinho, have been referred to the Disciplinary Council (CD) of the Portuguese Volleyball Federation (FPV).
“The disciplinary part is being forwarded [to the CD] to act accordingly. These are the normal procedures,” said the National Technical Director (DTN) of the FPV, Leonel Salgueiro, in statements to Lusa.
The incident occurred in the fourth set of the second game of the quarter-final play-off. The 29-year-old middle blocker, after hearing the insult, hit a serve out of bounds and, very angry, went straight to the substitutes’ bench. After that, a few more points were played before the match was interrupted, and Lucas França asked the referees to request that the delegates from the Portuguese Volleyball Federation and the police present at the scene identify the perpetrator of the insult. Bernardo Gomes de Almeida, president of Espinho, went down from the stands to the court and personally spoke with Lucas França and apologized, this after Rui Moreira, a player from Espinho, had spoken to the fans to calm things down.
Leonel Salgueiro admitted that he did not recall a similar situation in the sport, emphasizing that the interruption of games due to racist insults “is not recurrent, nor normal” in volleyball: “Our position is that we are categorically against attitudes of this nature. These are behaviors that are not worthy of the values of sport.”
Following the incident, Benfica issued a statement regretting what happened and praising the attitude of the Espinho management in attempting to resolve the problem immediately, expressing “its full solidarity with the player, as well as with all the other members of the volleyball team, and reiterating its firm commitment to promoting respect, dignity and the fundamental values of sport.”
On social media, Lucas França condemned the incident: “As an athlete, I know very well that I am a product displayed in a shop window, available to the public for entertainment. And, because I am in that shop window, I am subject to applause and criticism — that’s part of my life. However, when these ‘criticisms’ involve skin color or hair, they cease to be criticism and become racism.”
