Porto pillar accuses Benfica and Sporting chiefs of coercion | OneFootball

On the sidelines of the Portugal Football Globes, an event that awarded the main figures of national sport, André Villas-Boas commented on the communication that has been made by Benfica and Sporting. Questioned by journalists, the president of Porto made several criticisms of his rival counterparts, namely Rui Costa and Frederico Varandas.

In response to journalists, the leader of the dragons recalled the absence of one of the most professional referees in the League and pointed the finger at his Lisbon rivals: "The only thing I have noticed is the absence of one of the best Portuguese VARs, Tiago Martins, who has been widely criticized by the president of Sporting and Benfica and is kept away from the classics".

"The coercion made by the presidents of the rivals has a direct impact on the nominations, Tiago Martins was in the final of the Women's Champions and is supposedly recognized as one of the best VARs, but he ceased to exist for the big games... How is mediocrity rewarded with a classic?", he added, targeting Bruno Esteves.

Next, the Porto president - who targeted Vangelis Pavlidis - left a certainty about the attitudes of the Lisbon rivals: "I don't know if this level of communication is having an impact on the nominations, but I can't help but notice obvious facts for everyone. We don't want to be in that position and play the same game as the others".

To conclude, he noted that the goal Porto set is not the same as that set by Benfica and Sporting: "We are all eager to see who will be awarded the 'Calimero of the Year' award today. There is no shortage of candidates… We know we have to fight hard to win the title, that's our goal".

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