Farioli ruthless: “The group comes first, nothing tops FC Porto” | OneFootball

Francesco Farioli answered bluntly the questions raised after an FC Porto match, focused on the hugs with Rodrigo Mora and the statements made by the player’s lawyer. The coach refused to fuel interpretations about individual hierarchies, defended his squad management, and placed the collective above any particular case. At the heart of his message, he left a non-negotiable idea: “The group is the priority and there is nothing greater than FC Porto.”

At a time when Rodrigo Mora once again became the focus of questions, Francesco Farioli sought to remove the drama from the signs seen at the end of the match and the interpretations that followed. The coach’s message was consistent: the decisions are his, but the priority does not shift away from the team.

Asked about the many hugs with Rodrigo Mora at the end of the match and whether he still counts on the player, Farioli downplayed the episode as the natural result of a win.

“At the end of the match, when we win, it is normal for everyone to hug each other, so it is what it is.”

The response shuts the door on conclusions drawn from a celebratory gesture. For the coach, the collective context explains more than any isolated image.

Faced with the statements from Rodrigo Mora’s lawyer, Farioli went further and challenged the building of a narrative around the player’s status. Without avoiding the subject, he explained that he has never publicly established an order of preference.

“I saw the comments yesterday and sometimes we like to build a narrative. They never spoke to me, and I never said whether he is the first, second, or third option. When someone close to you goes out to speak and takes certain positions, it puts the person they are defending in a difficult position,” he said. “It has been a topic throughout the whole of last season, and there is this desire to build a narrative, and I am here to help the players. When we have two players like Gabri and Rodrigo, it is a privilege for us. There are no major differences between the players, and both played a lot last season. Everyone has expectations, but it is my decision, I have to manage the team, and that is what it is. There is not much to comment on because I have repeated this message many times already. The group is the priority and there is nothing greater than FC Porto.”

Farioli acknowledges the expectations surrounding the players, but refuses to let them override his responsibility to manage the team. Between Gabri and Rodrigo, the coach’s view points to competition that he considers a privilege, always subordinate to the greater stature of FC Porto.

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