The police hunt for the driver of the car filmed mowing British football fan Marco Ficini to his death in Lisbon last week ended on Thursday, with the man believed to have been involved giving himself up in the company of his lawyer.
Luís Miguel Pina, 36, is reported to be alleging self defence.
Says tabloid Correio da Manhã he claims “only to have accelerated the Renault Clio belonging to his ex-wife on top of Italian born Marco Ficini because Sporting fans were attacking him (Pina) with iron bars, sticks and stones”.
Benfica-supporter Pina is part of the “illegal” No Name Boys group of club fans which have been blamed for all kinds of violence and aggressions.
Ficini too had a police record for football-related violence, says CM.
But Pina’s ‘defence’ did not convince Lisbon prosecutors, said the paper, which is why he has been remanded into police custody.
According to the tabloid, evidence collected from the scene outside Estádio da Luz in the early hours of last Saturday morning, as well as CCTV footage of the incident, suggests Pina could be facing a charge of murder (click here).
Resident of Rio de Mouro (Sintra), Pina “spent six days on the run”, the paper adds – saying it “knows” that Pina will allege that he went alone to Benfica stadium at 2am on Saturday with the sole purpose of picking up tickets for the Derby game between his favourite team and rival Sporting later that day.
On arriving at the stadium, the man’s story will suggest that he came upon Sporting fans attacking cars, and “so as not to be lynched”, drove at the “aggressors” in “legitimate self defence”.
CM adds that Pina already has “a full” police file, involving trafficking, aggressions and thefts, though he has never before served time in prison.
Ficini’s body meantime is being repatriated to his native Italy for burial
