Images of the incident which
took place after the Cup Final
between Benfica and
Guimarães caused global outrage after they went viral. The Minister for Home Affairs suspended the officer for 90 days following a report based on footage from CMTV.
The most striking footage emerging from clashes between fans and police was captured when an officer attacked a fan in front of his children in what appeared to be an unprovoked incident.
In the footage, taken outside the Dom Afonso Henriques Stadium in Guimarães, Deputy PSP Police Commissioner Filipe Silva was seen lashing out at José Magalhães with his baton before striking his elderly father.
These images made it onto front pages of most mainstream media, and remain on popular news sites such as the BBC
and the Guardian, while Spanish and Brazilian media have given the story enormous prominence.
The incident happened after José Magalhães decided to leave the stadium early, explaining later he was concerned for the welfare of his two sons.
According to Magalhães, the officer in question first lambasted him for taking his children to the football match, before striking out at him.
One officer, named as Ernesto Pino, is seen immediately removing José Magalhães’ hysterical and crying nine-year old son Gonçalo from the scene, shielding the boy from the ensuing violent beating to which his father is being subjected.
Another police officer also moved in to calm down the boy’s older brother, Tomás (13), as Magalhães was arrested.
Initial reports from police suggest that the attack was the result of Deputy Commissioner Filipe Silva being spat at by Magalhães.
This claim was strongly denied by Magalhães.
Following the unsavoury scenes which were given prominence by press the world over, Benfica President Luis Filipe Vieira invited the two Magalhães boys to attend the club’s final game of the season at the Luz Stadium.
Following the release of these images, the Unified Police Union leader Peixoto Rodrigues, criticised the manner in which Deputy Commissioner Silva handled himself.
“The proportionality of the means used is disproportional. I think that taking into consideration the footage, there is nothing that justifies the excessive force”, explained the police union leader.