At youth tournament

Referee slapped in the face! Scandal surrounding Porto coach

Sergio Conceicao allegedly went berserk on the sidelines of a youth tournament.(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Porto coach Sergio Conceicao has caused quite a stir on the sidelines of a youth tournament in Spain. The Portuguese is said to have slapped a referee and attacked the mayor of the host city as well as members of the Guardia Civil. Meanwhile, Conceicao's lawyers have filed a criminal complaint against the mayor.

This tournament in the Spanish province of Huelva will be remembered by all those involved for a long time to come. But not because of the footballing performances, but because of a scandal involving the FC Porto coach.

As reported by "El Desmarque", Conceicao is said to have insulted the referee from his seat in the stands during the final match between a FC Porto junior team and Sevilla FC on Sunday. Security forces prevented the Portuguese from storming onto the pitch. 

Mayor as a "protective shield"
After the match, the referee wanted to get into the players' tunnel as quickly as possible to avoid another confrontation. But Conceicao confronted him and slapped him in the face. In the end, a real scuffle broke out. 

The mayor of the host town, Manuel Barroso, was also in the middle of it and tried to mediate, as he explained to "Antena Huelva Radio": "I stood in between and acted as a shield." According to Barroso, the Portuguese man confronted him with a "grotesque and arrogant attitude". In the end, he was even scratched on the neck by the 49-year-old.

Criminal complaint and defamation suit
However, the mayor made further serious accusations: "I asked him if he wasn't ashamed of insulting and even attacking me. But he continued to insult me and even threatened to kill me." Barroso has lodged a complaint and is demanding that Conceicao be punished: "We are organizing this tournament so that the children can have fun and continue playing sport. It was a pathetic picture".

As the Portuguese newspaper "Record" reports, the Porto coach has meanwhile taken legal action against the mayor. "Immediately after the events, a criminal complaint was filed against Mayor Manuel Barroso for attempting to assault Sergio Conceicao's son," said a lawyer for the Portuguese. The accusations were also vehemently rejected and a defamation suit is being prepared.