Country Profile - Portugal
Name: Portugal
Population: 10,263,850 inhabitants
Capital: Lisbon
Date of accession to the Council of Europe: 1976
Convention on an Integrated Safety, Security and Service Approach at Football Matches and Other Sports Events, 2016
Date of Signature: 03/07/2016
Date of Ratification: 19/06/2018
Date of entry into force: 01/08/2018
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Coordination Arrangements
Presentation of the country's main security and sports institutions and bodies
- Ministry in charge of sport: Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, through the Secretary of State of Youth and Sport
- Ministry of the Interior and / or Justice;
- National committee on sport safety and security: There is no National Committee, particularly in this area. However, there is a multi-agency working group for the safety and security of sports events, under the umbrella of the National Sports Council, where some tasks are performed: Government’s Law Decree nº 315/2007
- Others organisation or task force on S4 policies: National Authority for the Prevention and Fight Against Sport-Related Violence. The National Authority has developed its action to promote and share best practices, aiming to raise the overall standards of the three pillars of the Saint-Denis Convention: safety, security and service.
National safety bodies:
- Independent sports safety bodies: There isn’t a specific independent sports safety body in Portugal
- National public coordination safety bodies: National Authority for the Prevention and Fight Against Sport-Related Violence (APCVD) - Its mission is to supervise the legal framework for preventing and combating violence, racism, xenophobia, and intolerance at sporting events, to make it possible for such events to be held with safety and security, in accordance with the ethical principles inherent to sports.
Responsibilities:
- Administrative sanctioning of misdemeanours related to the legal framework;
- Grading the risk level of sports events;
- Designation of improvement measures for sports venues;
- Development of campaigns and activities related to the implementation of high ethical principles and values at sports events;
- Promotion of preventative socio-educational measures;
- Registration of internal safety regulations of sports venues;
- Other responsibilities.
- National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC) - - Its mission is to plan, coordinate and execute emergency and civil protection policies, to prevent and respond to serious accidents and catastrophes, to protect and help populations, to coordinate civil protection agents, and to ensure the planning and coordination of national needs in the area of civil emergency planning.
Main Sports/Sport Activities
Main sports in the country (by number of members)
- Football
- Swimming
- Handball
- Volleyball
- Basketball
National Olympic Committee
Main sports federations and leagues
- Portuguese Football Federation
- Portuguese Swimming Federation
- Portuguese Handball Federation
- Portuguese Volleyball Federation
- Portuguese Basketball Federation
- Portuguese Professional Football League
National football authorities
Relevant good practices in the S4 domain
- League 3 - Pure Football Ranking - The League 3 is a competition that constitutes the third tier of Men's Senior Football, with a differentiated concept and committed to pursuing a series of challenging objectives. The Pure Football Ranking will distinguish the League 3 clubs that throughout the sports season promote and comply with the values of the competition, a positive attitude and behaviour between all sports agents and spectators involved in the competition, reiterating values such as respect, complicity, solidarity and integration. At the end of each match, each team is given a classification which results from the sum of the points awarded in each of the criteria: respect for opponents, referees, behaviour of team officials and fans. The Pure Football Ranking is fully independent from the regular League 3 competition ranking, in which they may add or lose points, as a result of their conducts and initiatives.
- PNED - The National Plan for Ethics in Sport (PNED) represents a government initiative and is hosted by the Portuguese Institute for Sport and Youth, I. P.. It is a set of structured and planned initiatives, which aim to disseminate and promote the living of ethical values inherent in the practice of sports such as truth, respect, responsibility, friendship, cooperation, tolerance and inclusion, among many others.
- Black Lives Matter in Football, Matosinhos, is an initiative of the “i Plan Association”, developed in partnership with the Matosinhos Municipality and “SOS Racism” association, and funded by Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE network), which counts also with APCVD as a partner. APCVD is responsible for the development of the platform for registration of informal reports, in order to facilitate the reporting of unlawful facts that occur at football matches and report discriminatory practices motivated by skin colour, nationality, ethnic origin, ancestry or territory of origin
- National Observatory of Violence against Athletes (ObNVA) - platform for informal and anonymous online reporting of situations of violence against athletes experienced directly or witnessed. APCVD is a partner in the initiative of the University Institute of Maia and the “i Plan Association”, promoting the project and supporting its development, reporting situations that may be relevant for analysis by the Observatory
- Amnesty International - "I Play for Human Rights" aims to reflect, with the support and joint effort of all entities in the sports sector and other partners, on the articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Major Sports Events
Last major sporting events organised since 2000 and key elements of their legacy
- Men's Handball World Championship 2003
- European Football Championship 2004 - the biggest sporting event ever held in Portugal, with a strong legacy regarding the “Service” and hospitality at sports events, as well as the “low profile” policing model. The key elements of its legacy are well described in this document (“UEFA EURO 2004 in Portugal: Lessons learnt from a successful tournament”, Rapporteur: Paulo Gomes, Ministry of the Interior, Portugal, Lisbon, 3 May 2005)
- UEFA Nations League Final Four (2019)
- UEFA Champions League Final 2021 (and also 2014, and the 2020 CL Final Eight)
- 2021 European Judo Championships
Future major sporting events organised and/or co-organized within the next 5 years
Information not available
The country's main sporting competitions
- 1st and 2nd Professional Football League and Portuguese FA Cup
- Basketball League
- National Futsal Championship
- Portuguese Handball Championship
- Portuguese Roller Hockey Championship
Supporter Organisations
National supporter organisations or National team supporter organisations
National team supporter organisation
Information not available
Main club supporter organisations
Supporter organisation |
Club |
Number of members |
Super Dragões |
Futebol Clube do Porto |
815 |
Brigada Ultras Sporting |
Sporting Clube de Portugal |
176 |
Torcida Verde |
Sporting Clube de Portugal |
175 |
National supporter organisations or National team supporter organisations: which supporter organisations are involved at national level in representing supporters to public authorities or sports federations?
Legal Framework
National legal framework on sports safety and security, including specific legal provisions on:
List of main laws and regulations
- Law nr. 39/2009 in its current wording - Legal Regime of safety, security and fight against racism, xenophobia and intolerance at sports events
- Law-Decree nr. 141/2009 - Legal regime of sports infrastructures for public use
- Implementing Decree nr. 10/2001 Regulation of the Technical and Safety Conditions of Stadiums
- Law nr. 123/2019 of October 18, third amendment to the Law-Decree nr. 220/2008 of November 12, establishing the legal framework for fire safety in buildings
- Ministerial Order nr. 135/2020, changing the Technical Regulation of safety against fire in buildings, approved by Ordinance nr. 1532/2008 of December 29
- Law-Decree nr. 52/2013 of April 17 - Undertakes the first amendment to Law-Decree nr. 216/2012, of October 9, establishing the requirement for policing at sports events integrated in professional sports competitions
national / local coordination bodies
- Law nr. 39/2009 in its current version - Legal Regime of safety, security and fight against racism, xenophobia and intolerance at sports events
national S4 policy
- Parliament’s Resolution nr. 52/2018, Approves the Council of Europe Convention on an Integrated Approach to Safety, Security and Services on the Occasion of Football Matches and Other Sporting Events, opened for signature in Saint-Denis on July 3, 2016
- Law nr. 39/2009 in its current version - Legal Regime of safety, security and fight against racism, xenophobia and intolerance at sports events
share of safety and security responsibilities (inside/outside of sports venues)
- Law nr. 39/2009 in its current version - Legal Regime of safety, security and fight against racism, xenophobia and intolerance in sports events
stewarding/ private security
- Law nr. 46/2019 – Legal regime regarding the private security activity and self-protection
sports venues safety regulations, licensing, certification and inspection
Municipalities:
- Law-Decree nr. 555/99, of December 16 - Legal Regime of Urbanization and Construction (on its latest version)
- Law-Decree nr. 163/2006 - Approves the regime of accessibility to buildings and establishments that receive the public, public roads and residential buildings, revoking Law-Decree nr. 123/97, of May 22
Portuguese Institute of Sports and Youth (IPDJ):
- Law-Decree nr. 141/2009 - Legal regime of sports infrastructures for public use
- Decree nr. 10/2001 Regulation of the Technical and Safety Conditions of Stadiums
National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC):
- Law nr. 123/2019 of October 18, third amendment to Law-Decree nr. 220/2008 of November 12, establishing the legal framework for fire safety in buildings
- Ministerial Order nr. 135/2020, Technical Regulations for Fire Safety in Buildings, Amendment to the Technical Regulation of Security against Fire in Buildings, approved by Ordinance nr. 1532/2008 of December 29
National Authority for the Prevention and Fight Against Sport-Related Violence (APCVD):
- Law nr. 39/2009 in its current version - Legal Regime of safety, security and fight against racism, xenophobia and intolerance at sports events
sport-related hate speech, racism and other types of discrimination
Commission for Equality and Against Racial Discrimination:
- Law nr. 93/2017, legal regime for preventing, prohibiting and combating discrimination on the grounds of racial and ethnic origin, colour, nationality, ancestry and territory of origin
National Authority for the Prevention and Fight Against Sport-Related Violence:
- Law nr. 39/2009 in its current wording - Legal Regime of safety, security and fight against racism, xenophobia and intolerance at sports events
pyrotechnics and other forbidden items
- Law-Decree nr. 135/2015 - Defines the rules establishing the free movement of pyrotechnic articles, as well as the essential safety requirements that pyrotechnic articles must meet in order to be made available on the market, transposing Directive 2013/29/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council, of June 12, 2013, and Commission Enforcement Directive 2014/58/EU, of April 16, 2014
- Law nr. 39/2009 in its current version - Legal Regime of safety, security and fight against racism, xenophobia and intolerance at sports events
social-educational preventative measures/projects
- Law nr. 39/2009 in its current version - Legal Regime of safety, security and fight against racism, xenophobia and intolerance at sports events
alcohol/drug policy
- Law nr. 39/2009 in its current version - Legal Regime of safety, security and fight against racism, xenophobia and intolerance at sports events
specific sport-related misbehaviour typified as crime
- Law nr. 39/2009 in its current version - Legal Regime of safety, security and fight against racism, xenophobia and intolerance at sports events
specific sport-related misbehaviour typified as misdemeanour
- Law nr. 39/2009 in its current version - Legal Regime of safety, security and fight against racism, xenophobia and intolerance at sports events
exclusion policy (banning orders / exit bans)
Judicial banning orders: as a restraining order or accessory sanction,
Administrative: precautionary measures or accessory sanction,
Disciplinary measures: applied by the sports justice system.
- Law nr. 39/2009 in its current version - Legal Regime of safety, security and fight against racism, xenophobia and intolerance at sports events
Measures taken / envisaged by States to meet the objectives of the Convention
- Parliament’s Resolution n. º 52/2018, Approves the Council of Europe Convention on an Integrated Approach to Safety, Security and Services on the Occasion of Football Matches and Other Sporting Events, opened for signature in Saint-Denis on July 3, 2016
- Decree nr. 10/2018 - Establishment of the National Authority for the Prevention and Fight Against Sport-Related Violence
National Strategies/Policies
Existence of specific safety, security and/or service public policies
- Law nr. 39/2009 in its current wording - Legal regime on safety, security and fight against racism, xenophobia and intolerance at sports events
- Parliament’s Resolution n. º 52/2018, Approves the Council of Europe Convention on an Integrated Approach to Safety, Security and Service on the Occasion of Football Matches and Other Sporting Events, opened for signature in Saint-Denis on July 3, 2016
- PNED - The National Plan for Ethics in Sport (PNED) represents a government initiative and is hosted by the Portuguese Institute for Sport and Youth, I. P. It is a set of structured and planned initiatives, which aim to disseminate and promote the living of ethical values inherent to the practice of sports, such as truth, respect, responsibility, friendship, cooperation, tolerance and inclusion, among many others
- “Violência Zero” (Zero Violence) - is the name of the national campaign to combat violence in sport. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the phenomenon of violence by promoting the ethical values of sport, such as cooperation, respect, solidarity and tolerance
- “Sintam-se em Casa” (Feel yourself at home) - is a campaign with the aim of providing experiences of hospitality, of healthy conviviality between the supporters of both clubs, in familiar and welcoming environments, and that contribute to the supporters feeling safe, secure and welcomed.
Existence of a national strategy on security, safety, and services
Under development
Existence of (a) regional/ local strategy(ies) on security, safety, and services
None
Major Risks and Incidents
Major risks and trends on sport-related violence and disorder
Portugal is facing a considerable and continuous growth of number of individuals becoming part of “casual” groups, formed within the major organised “ultra” supporters’ groups. These groups and the major “ultra” groups are now not only attending football matches, but also spreading to all the sports in which their favourite clubs participate, such as futsal, handball, and roller hockey. Due to the increase of safety and security measures, most of the incidents are now occurring outside stadia and far from them, sometimes not even related to the match day. In Portugal, most of the violent behaviour is related to the use of pyrotechnic devices, physical assault and vandalism against structures related to their rival clubs. The numbers of violent demonstrations against referees, FA officials, and their club players and board in face of bad results are also rising.
Most relevant incidents
Last major incidents which seem relevant and enlightening on the need to adopt an integrated approach to safety, security and service.
- April 2017 – FC Porto supporters violently assault a bus of SL Benfica supporters. 2 persons were injured.
- April 2017 – During a brawl between SL Benfica supporters and Sporting CP supporters near SL Benfica’s stadium, in match day -1, a Fiorentina supporter, who was in Portugal due to good relations between Sporting and Fiorentina, died, after being ran over by a car driven by a SL Benfica supporter.
- November 2017 – 9 police officers were injured when trying to stop a fight between SL Benfica and Vitoria SC supporters inside Guimarães stadium. The match was stopped for more than 5 minutes.
- May 2018 – Sporting CP training centre was attacked by their own ultra-group, during a training session, due to bad results. The head coach an many players were physically assaulted.
- December 2018 – one person was badly injured after SL Benfica supporters’ bus was attacked by SC Braga supporters in the highway.
- May 2019 – After winning the national championship, and during celebrations, 37 SL Benfica supporters were arrested for assaulting police officers and for using pyros.
- June 2020 – 7 SL Benfica Ultra group and casual leaders were arrested as a result of a police investigation related to violent incidents in the sports context.
- May 2021 – During the champion title celebrations of Sporting CP, 3 supporters were arrested for assaulting Police officers and 30 supporters were identified for different reasons. 4 police officers and dozens of supporters were injured as consequence of throwing bottles, rocks and pyrotechnics.
- December 2021 – 54 risk supporters of Dynamo Kiev were arrested after a brawl with SL Benfica supporters and the Portuguese Police, before the match. 12 supporters and 1 Police Officer were injured.
- August 2022 – 154 risk supporters of Hajduk Split (148) and SL Benfica (6 from Ultras Group "No Name Boys") were identified for throwing several pyrotechnics in Guimarães city, on the MD-1.
- February 2023 – 28 risk supporters, Casuals, from SL Benfica and Sporting CP were arrested because of a police investigation related to violent incidents in the sports context.
Please provide a graph of the evolution of total incidents over the last 10 years
Regarding the number of incidents, please take in considering that until season 2016/2017 the scope was only on the Premier league and cup finals, and since the season 2017/2018 we started to consider all the leagues.
Last updated on September 2023