Leonino exclusive, Severino on Rui Borges: "He can stay, but..." | OneFootball

Rui Borges’ margin for error at Sporting is small, according to Carlos Severino. In this Leonino Exclusive, the former communications director of the Alvalade club discussed the events surrounding the draw against Estrela da Amadora in the opening match of the 2026/27 league season.

"What happened is unbelievable. They were two gifts, it’s hard to understand. I don’t know whether the changes in midfield caused the situation, but a dominant Sporting ended up being dominated in the final part of the game. And we were very lucky not to lose the match, because Estrela da Amadora created quite a few chances. This Sporting cannot exist anymore. It has to be the previous Sporting, the one that won three championships in four years," he began by telling our newspaper.

Rui Silva made a mistake on the second goal conceded and, for the former candidate for the lions’ presidency, the club needs a new man in goal. "Unfortunately, I think Sporting has to sign a goalkeeper who gives the team more confidence. Obviously everyone makes mistakes, but that error led to the equaliser. Sporting must have a goalkeeper who is more effective," he said.

Luis Suárez’s recent episodes have shaken the Sporting world. For Carlos Severino, the Colombian striker needs to show a different attitude: "I think it’s a situation that can be overcome. Although there is a history that really is not at all advisable, because the story of him having an agreement with a candidate for the Fenerbahçe presidency, who did not win the election, I think that was very bad. If he wants to leave Sporting, then he should say so. But I think it would be good if a consensus could be reached and he stayed at Sporting, since he was the league’s top scorer. But he needs to calm down. I hope Suárez has some sense in that head of his and stays at Sporting", he stressed.

To conclude, he says Rui Borges has the conditions to continue, but if the poor results persist, the coach will have to leave the club: "For now, I think he has the conditions to continue, but one thing is obvious: Sporting have already had a run of games in which they are winning and then lose it in the final part. So it would be good if that stopped happening.

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