Barbosa da Cruz says João Ferreira cost Sporting a title: no apology | OneFootball

The return to total silence in the Portuguese refereeing sector - which remains mired in controversy - sparked a strong reaction behind the scenes at Sporting. The end of the publication of referees' ratings and the release of VAR audio is seen by the green-and-white hierarchy as a clear step backwards. CarlosBarbosa da Cruz did not hold back in criticizing the decision to shield the sector from public scrutiny.

"Portuguese refereeing was unable to deal with the exposure and criticism that this openness entailed and thought it best to nip the problem in the bud," said the well-known analyst. He believes that transparency should always be the priority.

This retreat was compared to the creation of a barrier preventing the evolution of football in our country. "A Berlin Wall has been built, which is, for now, the bad news. The good news is that walls always come down," he stressed.

Barbosa da Cruz - who is part of Grupo Stromp - also accused João Ferreira, the current national technical director of refereeing, of having robbed Sporting of a league title. "He never apologized that one of his disastrous refereeing performances took it away from Sporting," he underlined.

The match in question dates back to Matchday 3 of the 2006/07 Portuguese League season, when the Lions lost 1-0 to Paços de Ferreira. The only goal of the match was allowed to stand after Ronny, the Beavers' forward, put the ball in the net with his hand in full view of the referee. The mistake cost valuable points that handed the title to Porto, who finished the season with just one more point than the Lions.

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