João Gonçalves on Sporting v FC Porto: “Top appointment, fully deserved” | OneFootball

João Gonçalves has been chosen to referee the classic match between Sporting and FC Porto, corresponding to the fourth round of the I Liga, which will take place on Saturday. It will be the first classic of the referee's career from AF Porto, who is 33 years old; Pedro Ribeiro and Ângelo Carneiro will be the assistants, Miguel Nogueira the fourth referee and Rui Costa will occupy the position of video referee (VAR).

Promoted to the first category of national referees in 2021, João Gonçalves has already directed 52 matches in the I Liga, the last of which was last Sunday, in the draw between Braga and Aves SAD (2-2). This year he received the FIFA insignia, joining the panel of international referees.

This will be the third match of the season for João Gonçalves, a physical education teacher: in addition to the aforementioned Braga–Aves SAD, he was at the Haverfordwest County–Floriana (2-3), in the first preliminary round of the Conference League. In the I Liga match he showed five yellow cards and marked 21 fouls.

Jorge CoroadoJoão Gonçalves has shown progress and the Refereeing Council has given him some support. The appointment fits into this context; it remains to be seen how he will react to a test for which no significant problems are expected.

José LeirósThis is an excellent appointment, totally fair and correct. He is in his sixth season in the I Liga and has been conducting quality refereeing. It's not surprising: it's what the Refereeing Council had been promising. He is not a historic referee, but he belongs to the new wave.

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