Court clears Varandas in case brought by Pinto da Costa and FC Porto | OneFootball

The Court of General Jurisdiction of Santa Comba Dão, of the Judicial Court of the District of Viseu, acquitted Frederico Varandas of all the charges brought against him in the case related to statements about Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa and FC Porto.

The ruling, made public on Tuesday, also exempts the Sporting president from paying the civil damages claimed in the case, which was based on a defamation complaint filed by the former historic president of FC Porto, who died on February 15, 2025.

In its reasoning, the court held that the statements made on March 5, 2022 — including the description of Pinto da Costa as an «active corrupter» — arose in a specific context and were framed by factual circumstances that place them within the scope of freedom of expression. For that reason, no criminal or civil liability was established.

The decision also states that the other statements examined did not harm the honor or reputation of FC Porto or FC Porto – Futebol, SAD, which were participating in the case as assistant parties.

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