Portal dos Dragões
·14 January 2026
Pedro Marques Lopes: I oppose contract renewals before big matches

In partnership with
Yahoo sportsPortal dos Dragões
·14 January 2026

Three days before the derby with Benfica, related to the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup at Estádio do Dragão, FC Porto made a move that some fans describe as “wise” and a “risk.”
The renewal of Francesco Farioli until 2028 came after Chelsea's interest, which alarmed the “La Famiglia Portista” at the beginning of the year. At the time, the Italian coach reassured the more anxious by guaranteeing that he would not leave, and the night before last, he fulfilled that promise by signing alongside André Villas-Boas, in a meticulously designed ceremony at Livraria Lello, surrounded by books related to dragons and the “ouroboros” symbol, an icon of renewal and strength.
Pedro Marques Lopes, a FC Porto fan known for supporting Pinto da Costa's candidacy in the last elections, admits that he does not appreciate this type of initiative.
“I never agree, neither on this occasion nor on other times when renewals were made before very important games, regardless of whether we are winning or losing. I never agreed when these decisions were made in the previous management and I do not agree now.”
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.









































