Portuguese club Sporting condemned "acts of vandalism and aggression" on Tuesday after forward Bas Dost was injured when "a group of hooded supporters, armed with sticks and belts, attacked players and staff at the club’s training complex," according to Mark Gleeson of REUTERS. Portuguese media published pictures of Dost with cuts on his head and reports said that assistant coaches Mario Monteiro and Raul Jose "suffered unspecified injuries." The attackers, numbering around 50, "also brandished weapons at coach Jorge Jesus and other players." The club said in a statement, "Sporting Club of Portugal vehemently repudiate the incidents registered today at the Sporting academy." The Portuguese league "also condemned the attacks." Last month, club President Bruno de Carvalho "threatened to suspend nearly the entire first-team squad after becoming involved in a public spat with the players" over their performance in a Europa League match against Atlético Madrid (REUTERS, 5/15). REUTERS' Andrei Khalip reported Portuguese police detained a top Sporting official and "three others linked to the club on suspicion of corruption, adding to Sporting’s troubles" a day after a group of fans attacked its players and coaches. Police said in a statement that the arrests were made over alleged "active corruption in sports" in an operation code-named Cashball, and officers "also searched the premises of one football club and various homes." The club was not identified, but local TV channels "showed police working at Sporting’s Alvalade stadium," and media outlets said that police "suspected some Sporting officials" of match-fixing, "mostly in handball matches but also in some football events, by allegedly bribing referees and players." One of those detained was Sporting Dir André Geraldes, the "right-hand man" of de Carvalho (REUTERS, 5/16).
