André Villas-Boas cleared by FPF panel after Sporting whinges | OneFootball

The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) Disciplinary Board cleared André Villas-Boas this Thursday of the complaints filed by Sporting and by former Benfica presidential candidate João Diogo Manteigas, following statements made by the FC Porto president in the editorial of the March issue of Dragões magazine.

In the ruling, dated April 30, 2026, and approved unanimously, the Disciplinary Board deemed unfounded the accusation that the leader of the blue-and-whites had committed a disciplinary offense for allegedly insulting the honor and reputation of bodies within the sporting structure and their members, as provided for in Articles 112 and 136 of the League’s Disciplinary Regulations.

At issue were several expressions used by Villas-Boas in the text “The President’s Vision,” published in Dragões magazine in March, in which he criticized disciplinary decisions, refereeing, and the scheduling of the match between Sporting and Tondela, in addition to references to media-covered episodes involving other clubs.

The Disciplinary Board found that, despite the “incisive” language and, at times, “excessive” rhetoric, the statements remained within the realm of “institutional criticism” and “value judgments.” The ruling also stresses that it was not proven that Villas-Boas had concretely and sufficiently specifically attributed deliberate, fraudulent, or intentionally favorable conduct to referees, disciplinary bodies, or entities organizing the competitions.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.