January 19 – Sporting Lisbon players were confronted by angry fans and had to be protected twice by riot police after the club’s Portuguese Cup defeat by Chaves.
Police formed a cordon around the team bus as it left Chaves’ stadium following Tuesday’s 1-0 loss.
On their return to the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon, armed police helped the players drive away safely, keeping supporters at a distance.
Their Sporting team features several members of Portugal’s Euro 2016 winning squad and they brought in head coach Jorge Jesus from rivals Benfica in June 2015.
But the club are fourth in the Portuguese top flight, eight points behind leaders Benfica. Their European ambitions ended in December when they finished bottom of their Champions League group.
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