Porto have been deducted six points by
Portuguese football authorities for attempting to fix league
matches.
The league's disciplinary committee ruled that Porto tried
to bribe referees in two matches in the 2003/04 season, and, as
well as the points deduction, have been fined €150,000 (£119,000)
and barred chairman Jorge Pinto da Costa from the bench during
matches for two years.
The league's disciplinary committee has also relegated
Boavista to the second division and fined the club €180,000
(£143,500) after being found guilty of trying to coerce referees in
three games in the 2003/04 season.
The club's chairman at the time, Joao Loureiro,
was suspended for four years and fined €25,000
(£19,000).
Leiria, also a top-flight club but unable to avoid
relegation this year, were found guilty of trying to bribe match
officials the same season and was docked three points while fined
€40,000 (£31,000). The club's chairman was suspended for one
year.
Five referees have also been suspended for up to six years
after being found guilty of corruption.
The sanctions are to take effect within three working days
unless appeals were lodged. All three clubs denied the charges.
The points deduction will not prevent Porto from
lifting their third consecutive league title, as the club will
still maintain a 14-point lead going into Sunday's final
fixtures.
The committee's president Ricardo Costa said officials
questioned 85 people during the investigation and compiled a case
file containing almost 1,000 pages.
He said in a televised press conference: "These decisions
were unanimous. Five people agreed with the penalties to be
applied."