The fan group of Académica de Coimbra, Mancha Negra, displayed a banner with the image of the former leader of the Salazarist regime, António de Oliveira Salazar, during a football match. The club's board expressed opposition to the gesture, considering it incompatible with the institution's values.
The Mancha Negra fan group came forward to publicly claim that the action had no political motivations, clarifying that the banner was intended solely to reference the historic 10-0 defeat of Académica by Benfica, which occurred during Salazar's time. The fan group emphasized that it does not support fascist ideologies or any political stance.
The club's president and the Mancha Negra leaders will meet in the coming days to address the situation and clarify the incident. Académica, as an institution with academic and democratic traditions, sought to dissociate itself from any symbol or reference to the Estado Novo period.
