José Fernando Rio: FC Porto haven’t won due to refereeing errors | OneFootball

The conflict in Portuguese football has reopened, this time led by FC Porto and Sporting. After a Classic marked by incidents off the field, the Porto club issued an official statement this Tuesday in response to the accusations from the Lions.

In an exclusive statement to Desporto ao Minuto, José Fernando Rio expressed his indignation at the impunity surrounding Frederico Varandas and praised the way FC Porto positioned itself in the Dragões Diários newsletter.

"I think it is a very assertive statement and not far from reality. The truth is that everything is allowed for Sporting and its president, and Sporting has been highly favored by refereeing since the last half of last season," said the former candidate for the presidency of the blue and white club.

"We all also remember how Sporting won against Santa Clara in the championship, with that scandalous corner not seen by the refereeing, which was a goal kick and not a corner. I could continue here giving several examples of benefits that keep Sporting in the title race and ahead of Benfica. Sporting's natural position at this moment would be third place," continued the businessman.

Regarding the VAR intervention in the match between Sporting and Famalicão, Rio based his opinion on UEFA's guidelines.

"We just need to pay attention to what the person responsible for refereeing at the European level said, that VAR works well to avoid clear and objective errors. And not to go around with a magnifying glass or watching in super slow motion for fouls and minor fouls, because otherwise, they always find something," he added.

"Let's not forget that football is a contact sport, it allows contact. It's only necessary to assess whether that contact is foul or not. And this is up to the referee, with the game played, with the ball in motion. Therefore, if the referee understands that it is not a foul, it is not up to VAR to look for reasons to annul the goal with a magnifying glass," emphasized the Porto supporter.

"And in this case, the goal [against Famalicão] was wrongly annulled. Also because the criterion is not even the same. Because we remember that in the first-leg game, in Nacional-Sporting, Sporting was already playing unfairly against 10. Their first goal also came from a foul committed by Trincão on the Nacional player, which the referee also did not signal and VAR did not look for that foul with a magnifying glass," recalled the jurist.

"Sporting benefits from goals initiated in fouls and then also benefits from goals annulled because supposedly there was a foul. I find all this very scandalous," stated José Fernando Rio.

The businessman explained that FC Porto's public stance results from the repetition of errors that, according to him, always end up favoring the same emblem.

"It's not about being the correct stance. FC Porto, in the face of these errors that clearly benefit Sporting, has to intervene. Of course, it also has to be concerned with its team, its players, with other opponents, because Sporting is not the only opponent. But, in fact, the benefits to Sporting have been clear, they have been obvious, and they have been many," he reiterated.

"FC Porto is obviously concerned about this. Even because FC Porto feels that its games are won with merit. FC Porto has not won a single game benefiting from a refereeing error so far. Quite the opposite. And it sees its direct rival, in this case, the one closest, match after match, as they say here in the newsletter, being carried," he added.

The newsletter concludes by stating that Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa formed FC Porto to react to situations of this type, although Rio recalls that the so-called "Holy Alliance" between Sporting and Benfica is not something recent.

"The mandates of Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa at FC Porto have always been marked by the fight against the established powers of Lisbon. And hence today we talk about the 'Holy Alliance', which means that the system, as a rule, benefits Benfica. When Benfica is not in a position to be benefited, then Sporting is carried," guaranteed the former candidate for the leadership of the dragons.

"This is what we have been fighting against for decades. And the truth is that this year it feels like that. As Benfica seems not to have the legs to go further, then let Sporting win, because it's better for Sporting to win than for FC Porto to win," evaluated the jurist and commentator.

"Benfica indeed sees Sporting being benefited and remains silent. Isn't it strange for a club like Benfica, which is currently fighting for second place and still has aspirations for the title, to see Sporting being benefited in this way and remain silent? I think this is not credible for Benfica," he questioned.

"In fact, Benfica only doesn't remain silent when it feels that harm itself, as it was in last year's Portuguese Cup final, where Sporting was highly benefited, Benfica was highly harmed, and then yes, Benfica complained. But otherwise, Benfica, as a rule, not always, but as a rule, remains silent," he recalled.

"Impunity" of Frederico Varandas continues to be a topic of discussion

Faced with successive complaints and processes that end without sanction, José Fernando Rio declared he does not understand how Frederico Varandas remains unpunished for his statements about refereeing.

"The president of Sporting has been pressuring refereeing for a long time. The president of Sporting insulted Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa. He insults the referees. He says that Benfica and FC Porto dominated refereeing for 40 years. In other words, the referees submitted to the power of Benfica and FC Porto during these 40 years. This is an insult to refereeing. This is an insult to Pedro Proença, who was a referee even during the period that Frederico Varandas refers to," retorted the commentator.

"The president of Sporting shoots in all directions and then nothing happens to him. He is unaccountable. Because the courts do not punish him, sports justice also does not punish him. And he feels increasingly empowered to continue this policy," he pointed out.

"Frederico Varandas even had the audacity to say that he went around with the president of the Federation mapping the club colors of FPF employees. To what have we come... Is this a country without law? Isn't this a democracy? Isn't it a rule of law? Well then, act accordingly," concluded the jurist.

Regarding the possibility of a fairer alignment in disciplinary and refereeing decisions, Rio emphasized his appeal for equal criteria for all clubs.

"What I want is justice and equality of criteria. I want the rules to be applied in the same way to all clubs. And I don't want to see Sporting with a benefit from refereeing, because they are successive errors. If there were justice, if the law had been well applied, Sporting would no longer be in the Portuguese Cup, they would have been eliminated two rounds ago," said the businessman.

"If there were justice in the national championship, Sporting would already be behind Benfica and much further from the title. And therefore, it is necessary that the referees and VAR are aware that they have to apply the law and not apply what benefits Sporting," he concluded.

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