Nine players, a goalkeeper outfield, 7-0 down at half-time – Belenenses SAD forfeit farcical Benfica game

B-SAD,
a
controversial
offshoot
of
historic
club
Belenenses,
were
plunged
into
crisis
this
week
when
13
of
their
players
tested
positive
for
coronavirus
–
among
them
was
Cafu
Phete,
who
had
recently
been
in
South
Africa,
where
the
new
Omicron
variant
of
the
virus
was
first
detected.

Despite
the
depleted
nature
of
their
squad,
club
president
Rui
Pedro
Soares
confirmed
earlier
in
the
day
they
had
not
asked
Benfica
to
postpone
the
fixture,
seemingly
to
the
dismay
of
players
who
published
coordinated
messages
to
social
media
as
the
match
kicked
off
in
Oeiras,
Lisbon.

The
statement
read:
“Football
only
has
heart
if
it
is
competitive.
Football
only
has
heart
if
it
is
really
sporting.
Football
only
has
heart
when
it
is
an
example
of
public
health.
Today,
football
lost
its
heart.”

O
futebol
só
tem
cor
se
tiver
competição.
O
futebol
só
tem
cor
se
tiver
verdade
desportiva.
O
futebol
só
tem
cor
quando
é
um
exemplo
de
saúde
pública.
Hoje,
o
futebol
perdeu
a
cor.

pic.twitter.com/ujjv5H5Ffp

—
Afonso
Sousa
(@afonso_sousa10)

November
27,
2021

B-SAD
started
the
match
with
just
nine
players
on
the
pitch,
many
of
whom
were
members
of
their
Under-23s
side,
and
that
included
goalkeeper
Joao
Monteiro
playing
in
defence.

Benfica
were
ahead
inside
24
seconds
thanks
to
an
own
goal
by
Eduardo
Kau;
while
the
visitors
did
not
score
again
until
the
14th
minute,
the
writing
was
on
the
wall.

They
were
7-0
up
at
half-time
thanks
to
a
Darwin
Nunez
hat-trick,
Haris
Seferovic
brace
and
a
solitary
Julian
Weigl
goal.

“What
is
this?
Am
I
the
only
one
who
doesn’t
understand
why
the
game
hasn’t
been
postponed?”
asked
former
Benfica
player
Bernardo
Silva
on
Twitter.

O
que
é
isto?
Sou
o
único
a
não
perceber
o
porquê
do
jogo
não
ter
sido
adiado?

—
Bernardo
Silva
(@BernardoCSilva)

November
27,
2021

B-SAD
did
return
to
the
pitch
for
the
second
half
but
with
only
seven
players,
and
as
soon
as
the
game
resumed,
the
hosts
put
the
ball
into
touch
and
another
player
dropped
to
the
turf
citing
an
injury.

The
referee
called
a
halt
to
the
game
due
to
B-SAD
running
out
of
players,
with
teams
required
to
have
a
minimum
of
seven
on
the
pitch.

It
has
not
been
confirmed
whether
Benfica
will
be
awarded
just
a
3-0
win,
as
is
standard
for
a
forfeiture,
or
take
the
full
7-0
scoreline.

#BFSSLB
|
⏹
Termina
o
encontro.#Emirates
pic.twitter.com/IGlCD3BCk1

—
SL
Benfica
(@SLBenfica)

November
27,
2021