The Portuguese police recovered the Champions League trophy, which will be delivered to the final winner next Saturday (24). The play had been taken from a room at the José Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon last weekend.
The theft occurred during the game that sealed the 21st Portuguese title in Sporting History, which beat Vitória de Guimarães, on Saturday (17), 2-0.
According to police, “several hooded individuals forced the entrance” through a parking lot gate of the stadium that will be the scene of the Champions The Female Champions. Arsenal and Barcelona will fight for the title.
The men fled with the trophy and other equipment owned by UEFA (Union of European Football Associations), a theft of which the police only became aware the next day.
The recovered material has already been returned, but the trophy remains in police custody.
Thirteen suspects were identified, according to police, who did not provide details about the operation to recover stolen items.
The investigation continues, and police hope to discover new objects and arrest new suspects in the coming days.
