“I won’t let Pedro Proença’s dignity be called into question” | OneFootball

On the possibility of a calm season: “We started the new season today, in a great celebration among teams that represent communities and where the players’ talent are the true protagonists 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.”

On the controversy related to the audio recordings: “I already issued a statement regarding what happened last week. But I would like to take the opportunity to leave two or three points that seem important to me. At no point can opinions expressed by the citizen Pedro Proença, said at a given moment and under certain circumstances, 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 that are almost cowardly and absolutely illegal. I will not allow the dignity of the citizen Pedro Proença to be called into question at any time. Those are the points I wanted to make. Just yesterday, the conversation held with the referees was clear, as was the will and vision that the FPF has in investing 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 role of the FPF is to create conditions for better performances, better referees, and for the competition to be healthier and for integrity to be protected. On the Federation’s side, we will do everything to make that happen.”

On the criticism directed 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 a person who is not me or whether it is being presented outside of its proper context. The opinion of a private citizen outside a context has nothing to do with the institutional position of the president of the FPF, who has a very important function, which 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 made 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 on the facts, and the Refereeing Council has all the conditions it needs for its activity.”

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