Maniche slams Varandas, says Sporting president made shameful remarks | OneFootball

In a debate on the hot topic between Sporting and Porto, concerning the intense smell placed in the Lions’ dressing room during the handball Clássico, Maniche took the opportunity to strongly criticize Frederico Varandas, regarding the statements made by the Sporting president after the Portuguese Cup match.

"It is true that Porto was well received at Alvalade, but after the match there were the ridiculous and shameful statements from the Sporting President. But the most important thing is to have a clean dressing room and to welcome people properly in the VIP box", he said ironically on CNN Portugal.

The former midfielder, who played at Alvalade in 2010/2011, reinforced his opinion. "I think we all live in glass houses. It’s not just André Villas-Boas. I don’t believe there is a club president who would deliberately have that smell put there," he stated.

To conclude, Maniche raised the possibility that Sporting may have staged it. "I’m not downplaying a situation that is extremely serious and criminal, but I also can’t place too much emphasis on something that may be a circus", he said.

Sérgio Krithinas was another TV commentator who raised this possibility. "If it is proven that there was no intent, then the accusations made by Sporting must also be punished", as reported in the sports daily Record.

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