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Sporting cut ties with Benfica

Xinhua, February 12, 2015 Adjust font size:

Sporting announced it has cut institutional ties with its rival Benfica in an official statement posted on its website, after fans threw dangerous fireworks during Sunday's Lisbon derby.

"During the derby on Sunday, at the Jose Alvalade stadium, the threats rendered the night before ("tomorrow there will be more") were materialized with the indiscriminate launch of pyrotechnic devices," Sporting said in the statement, published on its official website.

"We are faced with no other alternative than cutting the institutional relationship with SLB (Sport Lisboa e Benfica)," the statement concluded.

The statement said that on Saturday, at the Luz Stadium in Lisbon, during a match between the home team and Sporting, "a large banner was displayed from the top of one of the benches" that read "very light 1996."

"This unspeakable phrase is a reference to the barbaric murder of the Sporting fan Rui Mendes, at the end of the Portuguese Cup," the statement said.

In the 1995-96 season, Sporting fan Rui Mendes died when he was hit by dangerous fireworks during the Portuguese Cup final. Benfica beat Sporting 3-1 in the match.

According to Sporting, the Benfica fans holding up the banner also chanted "tomorrow there will be more."

The statement also said that Benfica's president took no measures at the time and did not issue a statement to "repudiate" the reference to the Mendes' death.

Also, a Benfica spokesperson had dubbed the incident as " folklore," the statement said.

Benfica is currently at the top of the Portuguese league with 50 points, seven points ahead of third-placed Sporting.

The match ended 1-1 on Sunday in the 20th round of the Portuguese league, at the Alvalade stadium in Lisbon. During the match seven fans were injured and two were arrested by police in a melee. Endite