Referees threaten Super Cup boycott, skip assessment over Proença row | OneFootball

The controversial statements by Pedro Proença, president of the Portuguese Football Federation, continue to spark reactions and consequences. After they were made public, including criticism aimed at referees and national officiating, it was precisely the match officials who moved forward with a form of protest.

Professional football referees did not attend the first refereeing refresher and evaluation session. The initiative, which is mandatory, is promoted by the Refereeing Council of the Portuguese Football Federation and began this Friday in Tomar.

“Professional football referees hereby state that they have decided not to begin the first refereeing refresher and evaluation action, as they believe that, given the events involving national refereeing, the necessary conditions are not in place for the start of the work,” professional football referees said in a statement seen by Lusa.

The protest could meanwhile see further developments. According to the newspaper Record, a boycott of the Super Cup, a competition organized by the FPF itself, is being considered. André Narciso was appointed to lead the refereeing team for the match between FC Porto and Torreense.

Following the leak, several bodies and organizations had already spoken out, including the Portuguese Association of Football Referees (APAF). In light of the controversy, Pedro Proença called José Borges, president of APAF, to a meeting. The national referees, however, refused to be present.

Pedro Proença’s first public statement only came later and in a personal capacity. The former referee, now president of the FPF, responded to the controversy and sought to put the statements that were made public into context.

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