Sporting v Tondela postponement throws Liga calendar into chaos | OneFootball

The postponement of Sporting v Tondela from matchday 26, combined with Sporting’s progress to the Champions League quarter-finals, has created a chaotic fixture squeeze. According to O Jogo, the issue now threatens to ripple across the Liga calendar.

At yesterday’s meeting of the Permanent Calendar Commission, Sporting proposed 6 May for the rearranged game if they were knocked out by Arsenal, citing fatigue and the proximity to the penultimate round. FC Porto and Benfica rejected the idea, with Porto insisting all positions were recorded, including the Liga’s permission for the tie not to be played on its reference date.

The body then set 29 April as the date if Sporting exit to the Gunners. Should Rui Borges’ side reach the semi-finals, whose first leg would fall that week, the commission pledged to convene urgently after the London game to set a date. That scenario would leave only the week before the final round to clear the backlog.

Porto argue the Liga’s position is untenable after it claimed the match was not postponed, only left unscheduled. They cite article 42 of the Competition Regulations, which states second-half fixtures moved must be played within four weeks, except during the last six matchdays. Porto add those rules exist to avoid late-season delays that affect not just the teams involved but third parties.

The club further notes the regulations contain no concept of a match being left unscheduled, only games set normally or altered or postponed, each with defined procedures, and that article 46 requires force majeure changes to respect article 42 deadlines. In Porto’s view, the current approach opens a Pandora’s box and undermines protections designed to safeguard sporting integrity. The club says it reserves the right to pursue legal action if the rescheduling does not respect the rules.

Source: O Jogo