FPF Council archives Porto disciplinary case without sanctions
The ruling closed the proceeding under Article 234(3)(a) of the RDLPFP. The Council found that Benfica’s complaint did not justify sanctions against FC Porto.
Footage filmed from the stands at the Estádio do Dragão showed Samu hitting Alexander Bah on the back during Porto’s match with Benfica on 20 September 2026. The clip became public later, prompting Benfica to make a further submission to the FPF Disciplinary Council. That brought the incident back before the body considering Benfica’s complaint against FC Porto, with the question now whether the reported conduct justified disciplinary sanctions.
The FPF Disciplinary Council concluded that Benfica’s complaint did not justify sanctions against FC Porto. On 15 October, it ordered the disciplinary proceeding archived under Article 234(3)(a) of the RDLPFP, ending this case without sanctions against the club. A distinct inquiry into those incidents remained under investigation when the dismissal was reported.
What Benfica put before the Council
Benfica’s complaint ranged beyond the later footage of Samu and Bah. According to RTP, it raised the conduct of FC Porto kit manager Jardel during a goal celebration, music played over the stadium sound system, and the legal basis for filming and broadcasting footage on Porto Canal. It also alleged that Gabri Veiga threw a bottle towards Benfica’s bench. No response from Porto, Jardel, Veiga or Samu was reported.
Other reports described Benfica objections to Veiga’s challenge on Bah, an incident involving Alberto Costa and Gianluca Prestianni, and the alleged late-match blow by Samu. These were allegations and objections reported by the media, not findings by the Council.
Benfica described the post-match events as serious disciplinary breaches and sought heavy sanctions for Porto, including closure of the Estádio do Dragão, RTP reported. Its request also included an immediate suspension for Veiga. A Bola reported that the Council opened the disciplinary proceeding at its meeting on 24 September, four days after the match.
Why the case was archived
The Council’s decision turned on whether Benfica’s reports had enough disciplinary weight to support action against Porto. A Bola reported that the body assessed the disciplinary relevance of the facts submitted before deciding to close the proceeding.
Its statement said:
The present disciplinary proceedings are to be archived, under Article 234(3)(a) of the RDLPFP.
A separate track remains open
The distinction matters because the Council was also dealing with a separate inquiry into incidents from the match. Record, A Bola and SIC Notícias reported that this inquiry opened on 9 October, after Benfica filed a participation concerning events during the game. It was not the same proceeding as the disciplinary case against Porto.
When Record reported the dismissal on 15 October, the inquiry was still under investigation.
Benfica’s wider criticism
Rui Costa framed the dispute as more than a question about the complaint’s allegations. On the day of the match, Benfica’s president criticised what he saw as inconsistent disciplinary standards in the way incidents were handled. Speaking to Observador, he described the difference in treatment as stark.
There is a tremendous duality.
The distinction matters because the complaint concerned whether conduct warranted action against Porto, while Costa’s remarks challenged how disciplinary standards had been applied during the match.
What an archive does—and does not—establish
A separate FPF case offers a useful limit on what an archive can establish. In that proceeding, Porto were accused of making a calumnious denunciation against referee Fábio Veríssimo. The Council archived the case, finding insufficient evidence that Veríssimo had knowingly and deliberately made a false complaint, RTP reported. It also said that an earlier case being archived for lack of evidence did not, by itself, prove that the original complaint was knowingly false.
The stand footage that brought Samu and Bah back into the story is no longer the only thing to watch. The Council’s separate inquiry has its own course to run. The clip began as a view from the stands at the Dragão. What happens next will be measured not by that moment alone, but by the Council’s next step and the games ahead.
- 20 October: FC Porto are scheduled to host PSV Eindhoven.
- 22 October: Benfica are scheduled to play away at Omonia Nicosia.
What do you make of it?
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