A Portuguese team playing futsal – known as “Futsal” – received a harsh punishment after a “shocking and unnatural” loss in the first division of the Santarem region in Portugal, according to which the identity of the champion of the competition was determined.
The Benavente team lost to Macau, 0-60, in the match that was held on the seventh of May, a result that gave the championship title in an “unexpected” way to the second team that benefited from the goal difference.
PESADO: Benavente castigado com descida, desclassificação do campeonato distrital de Santarém 22-23 and multi de 300€, por perder 0-60 contra o Mação, que foi campeão.
Benavente jogou com 3 atletas: 1 guardião e 2 futsalistas de campo nesse jogo em maio.pic.twitter.com/NEpiO8lfS3
— Cabine Desportiva (@CabineSport) August 22, 2023
And the Spanish newspaper “Marca” stated that the Benavente team was punished with relegation to the second division, in addition to a fine of 300 euros.
The newspaper stated that the Santarem Football Association – which is in charge of this tournament – imposed the penalty on the grounds that the Benavente club violated two articles of the disciplinary regulations, namely Article 69 and Paragraph 2 of Article 49.
According to the Federation of the Game, the result of the match was “unusual,” in addition to the fact that Benavente appeared in it with only 3 players (a goalkeeper and two youth players), claiming that changing the date of the match prevented the rest of the players from participating in it.
Macau benefited from this very wide result, which helped him win the title by 33 goals from Vitória de Santarem, who before that match was at the top of the standings with a victory margin and 27 goals.
