Vítor Pinto: “Farioli is ready to be FC Porto’s attack dog” | OneFootball

It came as no surprise to Vítor Pinto. The deputy director of Record says that Francesco Farioli being in step with the rhetoric of André Villas-Boas — including the pointed irony about the “smell he likes,” in a week when Sporting complained about a toxic smell in the Dragão Arena dressing room — is an attitude the Italian coach has embraced since day one.

Vítor Pinto recalls that the first sign came even before the first clássico of the season, in August, when Farioli referred to the penalties Sporting had been benefiting from in the clássicos. Since then, the Porto coach has repeatedly shown that he has absolutely no hesitation about stepping into territory that goes far beyond strictly sporting matters.

Today, when faced with a question from CMTV journalist Ana Silva Monteiro, Farioli was calculated: first he spoke only of his pride in the president, showing complete alignment with Villas-Boas’ words. Only then did he bring up the issue of the aroma — with all the irony the week called for. For Vítor Pinto, it was a deliberate, surgical response, clearly intended to mark a contrast with the greater restraint Rui Borges showed by avoiding diving headfirst into the controversy.

Farioli has already made it clear that for the second leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-final, at the Estádio do Dragão on April 22, he will have no qualms about addressing Sporting directly — just as he already addressed Federico Varandas directly, something that prompted a response from the Sporting president on his way out of the Ministry and fueled yet another cycle of commentary.

Even so, the journalist could not resist provoking Farioli: “even the most pleasant aroma, when too intense, can become toxic,” recalling what happened at Ajax, where the FC Porto coach let the league title slip away in the final rounds. It is still interesting that a certain section of Portuguese journalism is always talking about this subject.

Farioli is top of the table, he is aligned with the president, and he is willing to be, in Vítor Pinto’s words, “an armed wing of the people of Porto” in communication terms. But balance, the journalist concludes, is essential — and maintaining it until the end of the season is the real challenge.

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