Vítor Pinto mocks AVB: “Sporting favourites? Classic mind games” | OneFootball

The statements made by André Villas-Boas about an alleged “green wave” in the media continue to spark reactions. This time, it was Vítor Pinto who responded in a tone of victimization, defending the role of journalism and the symbolism of the so-called “red and blue microphones,” in an intervention that mixed irony, opinion, and a broader reading of the media landscape in Portugal.

At a time when FC Porto is preparing for a decisive classic against Sporting, the debate has spilled over from the pitch and into the studios. Villas-Boas had pointed the finger at what he considers to be a dominant narrative in sports commentary, insinuating a favorable bias toward the rival from Lisbon. This is a perspective that many Porto fans have felt for years—and which gains particular strength whenever FC Porto goes through less positive periods.

The response: less direct attack, more symbolism

Vítor Pinto chose a different approach. Rather than confronting the Porto president directly, he sought to explain what, for him, those often-criticized “microphones” represent: channels such as CMTV, Canal Now, or Record, which have real influence on the national football news cycle.

Here, there is an important insight: Vítor Pinto himself acknowledges that these media outlets shape narratives, fuel debates, and influence perceptions—precisely what André Villas-Boas wanted to denounce.

Favoritism, opinions, and the classic

The commentator recalled that several journalists considered Sporting to be the favorite for Monday’s classic, something he says “Villas-Boas himself ended up admitting.” Still, for many Porto fans, the problem does not lie in an isolated opinion, but in the constant repetition of certain perspectives, almost always more tolerant of some teams’ mistakes than others’.

In this sense, Villas-Boas’s words were seen by many fans as an act of directness: someone who does not silently accept what he considers to be a permanent imbalance in the analysis of FC Porto.

Vítor Pinto uses irony with Villas-Boas

Vítor Pinto surprised many by calling one part of André Villas-Boas’s intervention “brilliant”: the fact that the president of a major club publicly admits that his team is not the favorite for a classic.

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