Villas-Boas on Benfica's “creative” gripe: “No Samu-Bah footage?” | OneFootball

On FC Porto’s 133rd anniversary, André Villas-Boas, in his role as club president, addressed the controversies that continue to surround the clash with Benfica. He framed the controversy as stemming from the frustration caused by the outcome of the match, dismissed the complaint regarding Samu, and shifted the focus to the upcoming fixtures. As for the noise that remains, he summed it up: “I think they are natural frustrations.”

The Porto celebration did not keep out of the conversation a clássico that continues to stretch beyond the pitch. André Villas-Boas sought to close the matter without ignoring the accusations, countering them with a message of internal unity and concentration on what comes next.

Asked about the scale of the controversy surrounding FC Porto-Benfica, the Porto president linked the reactions to the importance of the clássico and to the different ways of experiencing the result. Even so, he made it clear that the club cannot remain stuck on what has already happened.

“I think they are natural frustrations. The first came in the immediate aftermath of the game, in the press conferences, and with the disappointment that losing a clássico in Portuguese football brings to some people. And then, in this three-week break, as the biggest match in the Portuguese league, it has that kind of impact on people’s lives,” he said. “People reflect on the clássico, on what happened, on the different perspectives, each person’s perspective. Some enjoy victories more, others dwell on defeat. For the club, this is a moment for focus and unity, nothing has been decided and we must continue to show our ability in the matches ahead.”

Villas-Boas’s reading separates the emotional impact of the clássico from the demands still facing the team. The victory can be savored, but it does not appear in his remarks as an end point: the watchword is continuity.

More forceful was his response about Benfica’s complaint regarding Samu. The FC Porto president described the move as an attempt to influence matters, was ironic about the analysis of the incident with Bah, and said the club would present its defense.

“I think it fits within those frustrations; everyone looks for the most creative methods to find ways of getting FC Porto players suspended for other matches. Obviously nothing is going to happen, because these are actions that naturally escape the referees’ judgment in the moment of the game. Maybe the VAR did not have the images to properly analyze the little ‘party’ Samu gave Bah, and it would not have helped much anyway, because it certainly would not have been a sending-off. So this is an attempt to influence the players going forward, as a new strategy on Benfica’s part, one that will lead nowhere and is a waste of time for the Disciplinary Board,” he said. “FC Porto will, obviously, present its defense and that is how the process will continue. Other than that, nothing: absolute focus on the next matches, the upcoming Champions League games, the trip to Marítimo, which is difficult, and quickly putting the clássico behind us so we can focus on what is essential.”

Between irony and direct criticism, Villas-Boas refused to give the complaint any weight capable of changing Porto’s agenda. The institutional response will follow its course; in the president’s remarks, however, what matters is already the challenges ahead.

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