“I won't allow Pedro Proença's dignity to be called into question” | OneFootball

On the possibility of a calm season: “We began the new season today, in a great celebration among teams representing communities and in which the players’ talent is the true driving force of the football that matters. We have a season prepared; it will be ten very intense months, in which the major sporting interests will always come before everything else. Portuguese football faces major challenges.”

Regarding the controversy surrounding the audio recordings: “I already issued a statement regarding what happened last week. But I would like to take this opportunity to add two or three things that seem important to me. At no point can opinions expressed by Pedro Proença as a private citizen, in a given moment and circumstance, be confused with the current role and formal opinions of the president of the Federation. Manipulations, edited conversations, taken out, attributed to someone — I would say these are acts of near cowardice and absolutely illegal. I will never allow the dignity of Pedro Proença as a citizen to be called into question. Those are the points I wanted to make. As recently as yesterday, the discussion held with the referees made clear the FPF’s intent and vision regarding investment in good conditions for referees so that we can have a great season. We want to create the conditions for a very good season. The FPF’s role is to create the conditions for better performances, better referees, and for the competition to be healthier and its integrity to be protected. On the Federation’s part, we will do everything to make that happen.”

On the criticism aimed at refereeing: “I’m not going to comment; I would have to see the whole conversation. I don’t know whether the conversation is being attributed to someone who is not me or whether it was said out of context. The opinion of a private citizen, outside a given context, has nothing to do with the institutional position of the president of the FPF, whose very important role is to create stability.”

Regarding Luciano Gonçalves’s opinion: “The Refereeing Council has autonomy; it was elected independently. It was the Council itself that made an independent decision. In sporting terms, everything will be settled. What the FPF wants is for everyone to have the conditions for a good season and great peace of mind, and we will do everything to make that a reality. Portuguese football faces major challenges, one of them being the organization of the World Cup.”

Asked about the possibility of Luciano Gonçalves being named a formal suspect: “I do not speak about hypothetical scenarios. I have nothing to say about that; we strongly believe in the independence of all bodies. The decision was one that closed the case regarding the facts, and the Refereeing Council has all the conditions necessary for its activity.”

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