"They said they would kill us if we didn't win the next game [the final of the Portuguese Cup]," he said, heard via Skype, during the 18th session of the trial about the Sporting academy invasion on 15 May 2018 in Alcochete, five days before the 'lions' lost 2-1 to Desportivo das Aves at Jamor.

Andre Pinto, who plays for Saudi Arabia's Al Fateh, explained that he was at the gym when he realised there was an invasion, and immediately went to the locker room, where he stayed close to Croatian Misic, the only player he saw being attacked, with a belt.

"The only aggression I witnessed was Misic, on the face. He didn't speak, he didn't gesture, nothing. It seems to me that there were players that were not the number one target but who were attacked anyway" he said.

According to the defense, the invaders "were looking for Acuña and Battaglia and used expressions like: 'they don't deserve the shirt they wear.

André Pinto confirmed the meeting that, on the eve of the invasion, gathered at the José de Alvalade stadium, the squad, the then president, Bruno de Carvalho, other members of the management, and the 'team manager', André Geraldes.

"The president spoke more to Acuña and Battaglia and said he had the fa club leader calling to find out where their houses were," he said, adding that "there was also some confrontation with Rui Patrício and William Carvalho.

André Pinto, who left Sporting in August last year, admitted that in the days following the invasion he was "afraid and not as exposed as before".

The trial continued in the afternoon with the hearing of Mário Monteiro, Jorge Jesus' assistant, who after Sporting followed with the Portuguese coach for Al-Hilal and Flamengo.

The case has 44 defendants, accused of the co-authorship of 40 crimes of aggravated threat, 19 crimes of offense to qualified physical integrity and 38 crimes of kidnapping, all of these (97 crimes) classified as terrorism.

Bruno de Carvalho, at the time president of the club, 'Mustafá', leader of the Leonina Youth, and Bruno Jacinto, former liaison officer with Sporting fans, are charged as moral offenders with 40 crimes of aggravated threat, 19 crimes of physical integrity offences and 38 crimes of kidnapping, all of these (97 crimes) classified as terrorism.

The three defendants are also charged with a crime of possession of an aggravated prohibited weapon and 'Mustafá' also with a crime of drug trafficking.