Varandas says Sporting squad felt guilty over champion's departure | OneFootball

Sporting released the documentary "The Winner Takes It All" and Frederico Varandas recalled the departures of Amorim and João Pereira

The Sporting club released the documentary "The Winner Takes It All", featuring never-before-seen footage from behind the scenes of last season and statements from the President, players, and coaches. Frederico Varandas recalled the departure of Ruben Amorim and how the squad felt "guilty" for not being up to the task when João Pereira was hired.

"It was one of the defining moments of the season and one of those moments we can call a 'stress test.' I am fully aware that 90% of coaches – maybe more – would have accepted the offer that Amorim accepted. And I remember there was a moment when he told me – it was me and Viana in my office – 'President, I've decided I want to go.' He didn't say anything, but I felt he was devastated for having made that decision," Varandas recalled.

The President of the Lions holds no grudge and understood the decision: "I remember him sitting in the office, looking at the floor, and I said, 'Amorim, get up, it's done.' Whatever happens, I know that Amorim was very happy here, he was a happy coach, a coach who helped us transform the club. And I can only have good memories. That's football, and he's a coach who is part of Sporting's history. The second coach with the most games in Sporting's history, and that says it all."

"Looking back, João [Pereira] suffered a lot. There was one thing he wasn't prepared for: the emotional impact. There was a period of mourning after the coach left, and everyone processed that mourning in their own time. Everything that Amorim did was demanded of João Pereira. The train was already moving, and the idea was not to change anything, not to invent," admitted Varandas.

"Everyone loved João, but we weren't ready to accept a João Pereira who was 100% himself with his own ideas. João had nothing on his side. Everyone here mourned Amorim during João Pereira's time. On the day João Pereira left, the whole group and all the staff felt the weight on their conscience. He left largely because of us, because we couldn't get through that mourning. A President has to make decisions, and we made the decision to change and bring in Rui Borges," he concluded, also talking about winning the double.

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