Bombshell! Vítor Pinto says Martínez row cost Palhinha World Cup | OneFootball

The excellent form shown by João Palhinha in the service of Benfica has once again put his name at the center of the national football spotlight. The Benfica player has been delivering performances of a very high level at the Luz. However, Vítor Pinto recalled the fact that the holding midfielder was not called up for the last World Cup.

"João Palhinha’s prominence at Benfica makes him a strong candidate to be called up by Jorge Jesus to the national team. There is no sporting rationale for the midfielder having been left out by Roberto Martínez from the warm-up matches in North America and the World Cup", he began by writing in his column in the newspaper 'Record'.

The sports commentator recalled the revelation made by José Manuel Freitas on NOW channel about an alleged heated argument between the player and the former national team coach at the Estádio do Dragão, as the reason for his absence. "Therefore, the revelation by journalist José Manuel Freitas on NOW channel, stating that Palhinha confronted the former national team coach at the Dragão, unhappy for not having played against Ireland and Armenia, must be clarified", he argued.

For Vítor Pinto, Palhinha’s exclusion would only make sense if an act of extreme indiscipline had been recorded before the federation structure. "The only credible reason for the Spaniard to have immediately crossed the midfielder off the World Cup squad is if he considered there had been a serious disciplinary breach, and in that case the incident would have had to be reported to the many FPF members who surround and oversee the national team", he opined.

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