Porto feel unfairly treated over fixtures vs Benfica, Sporting | OneFootball

FC Porto believes it was placed at a disadvantage compared to Benfica and Sporting in the decisions made by the Permanent Calendar Commission of Liga Portugal, responsible for setting the schedule for the upcoming matches.

The national press reports that the meeting was tense, lasted over four hours, and only a vote allowed the scheduling to be fixed.

The newspaper OJogo writes that FC Porto was unhappy to learn that it would have fewer rest days than its main rivals in the title race. The club from Invicta believes there was an alignment between the two Lisbon clubs that harmed it.

FC Porto's schedule for December is particularly packed: they face Malmo on December 11, Estrela da Amadora on the 15th, Famalicão on the 18th, Alverca on the 22nd, and Aves SAD on December 27.

In contrast, Sporting will benefit from a longer break between the Portuguese Cup round of 16 on December 17 against Santa Clara and the 15th round of the I Liga, scheduled for December 23 at Vitória de Guimarães.

According to OJogo, the justification for Sporting's longer rest period is due to a trip to the Azores – an argument that FC Porto rejected, claiming that they also played away games on Thursdays in UEFA competitions and returned to play on Sunday for the I Liga.

The topic prompted a comment from Francesco Farioli, FC Porto's coach, after the 3-0 victory over Nice.

“Certainly, it's important to improve the ranking. From what I understand, in the upcoming games we won't receive the same treatment as our colleagues, but we'll see that when they give us the schedule,” he commented.

FC Porto was advocating for equitable scheduling among the title contenders, ensuring equal conditions during a period of high physical and logistical demand, such as Christmas.

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