Arsenal fans are being afforded extra security by Portuguese police for the Champions League last 16, first-leg tie against Porto on Wednesday night in light of tensions between former Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas and Porto Ultras.
Mail Sport understands that the city will deploy officers from across five different units around the Estadio Dragao following a rift sparked by Villas-Boas’s candidacy in the club’s presidential election.
A typical Arsenal match abroad would usually warrant a couple of officers travelling from England, but owing to the situation Mail Sport believes up to 10 will make the trip.
Arsenal visit the city on the backdrop of an emotionally charged election between Villas-Boas and 86-year-old Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa — who is backed by the club’s ultras and has been in the post since 1982.
Ultras leader Fernando Madureira, 48, was arrested along with 11 others on January 31 after the November General Assembly ahead of the April election was abandoned due to fighting between ultras and Porto members.
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