Sporting v Tondela: Possible new dates if match is postponed | OneFootball

The Liga Portugal announced last Monday, March 2nd, through a statement, that the Sporting - Tondela match, from the 26th round, has been postponed and still does not have a set date, due to Sporting's participation in the Champions League. Now, at the latest, the match could be played at the end of April or even in May.

The competitive context helps explain the postponement. Sporting will face Porto this Tuesday, followed by a trip to Braga, before traveling to Norway to face Bodø/Glimt in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, scheduled for March 11th.

The Sporting delegation will only return the following day, drastically reducing recovery time before the second European leg, scheduled for March 17th, at Alvalade. In this context, holding the match with Tondela on March 14th or 15th would place the team in a competitive interval considered insufficient.

Even in a scenario where the game was played on the night of March 14th - the day of the Club's presidential elections, taking place at Pavilhão João Rocha - Sporting would have less than 72 hours of rest between European commitments, a situation deemed unfeasible by the technical structure led by Rui Borges.

In the meeting held between Sporting, Tondela, and Liga Portugal, Sporting formally refused to play that weekend, a position accepted by the body overseeing professional football. The immediate calendar also does not offer simple alternatives, as the following round already involves a trip to Alverca, before the break for national team commitments.

If Sporting is eliminated by Bodø/Glimt, rescheduling could occur in April, a period with free slots between matches against Santa Clara, Estrela da Amadora, and Benfica. In the opposite scenario - advancing to the quarter-finals - the problem deepens. Continued European involvement would mean a packed schedule with midweek and weekend games throughout almost all of April, potentially pushing the match to the final stretch of the championship, possibly between the last rounds.

The position of the clubs is clear: Sporting refuses to play in March for physical and competitive reasons, while Tondela showed understanding, although it prefers to avoid a postponement to May, fearing a sporting impact in the fight for maintenance.

Thus, the final decision remains in the hands of Liga Portugal. The quick scheduling of the match will only occur if Sporting is eliminated from the Champions League. As long as Sporting remains in the European competition, there should be no set date for the match.

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