It’s Super Cup week, and for Sporting fans, a huge sigh of relief just swept through the air. Two key players, Zeno Debast and Geovany Quenda, are now cleared to play in the big match. Sporting went to the Sports Arbitration Court (TAD) asking for a special order, and guess what? They got it. News outlet Record confirmed this big win for the Lions off the field.
But why were these two even in doubt? Well, it’s a story wrapped in rivalry and celebration. Debast had a one-game ban, and Quenda was hit with a two-game suspension. These came from the Disciplinary Council (CD) of the Portuguese Football Federation. Their alleged wrongdoing? The wild celebrations after Sporting secured their back-to-back league title. That was after a solid 2-0 victory over Vitória Guimarães. Adding to the drama were things that happened a week later, during the Portuguese Cup final at the National Stadium.
At the heart of these punishments was a complaint from rival club Benfica. They pointed to a photograph taken by Debast, showing Quenda with a banner. Benfica claimed this banner was meant to provoke them. This whole messy situation actually started much earlier. It began with a heated argument between Sporting’s Ricardo Esgaio and Benfica’s Otamendi. This happened at the end of a derby game at Benfica’s home stadium, the Estádio da Luz, which ended in a 1-1 tie. Esgaio apparently snapped at his rival, saying, “You talk a lot, suck my d***!”
That sharp comment earned Esgaio a one-game ban. The Sporting squad clearly didn’t like that decision. They decided to stand by their teammate publicly. So, during the league championship celebrations, Quenda went ahead and showed off that very banner on the pitch at Sporting’s Estádio José Alvalade. He even shared the image online, making sure everyone saw it.
One more player’s fate is still up in the air. Matheus Reis is waiting to hear about his case. That involves an incident where he stomped on Belotti during extra time in the Portuguese Cup match against Benfica.
The Super Cup, a highly anticipated clash, will put Sporting against Benfica. It all kicks off next Thursday at 8:45 PM, right there at the Estádio do Algarve. Get ready for some fireworks.