Santa Clara v Sporting: Referee is a nightmare for the Lions | OneFootball

The Arbitration Council of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) announced this Tuesday, December 16th, the refereeing team appointed for the round of 16 of the Portuguese Cup. João Pinheiro was chosen to officiate the match between Sporting and Santa Clara.

The referee from the Braga Football Association was elected as the main referee of the duel and will be assisted by Luciano Maia and Inácio Pereira. The fourth official will be Anzhony Rodrigues, while the VAR will have the contribution of João Casegas. Tiago Leandro will be the AVAR.

João Pinheiro's history of refereeing Sporting is not at all favorable to the lions. Out of a total of 33 matches officiated by the AF Braga referee, the green and whites have only won 13 times, drawn eleven, and lost on the other nine occasions.

The most recent complaint Sporting has against João Pinheiro dates back to the derby of the penultimate round of the last 2024/25 season, against Benfica, at Estádio da Luz, which ended in a 1-1 draw. The referee forgave a clear expulsion of Nicolás Otamendi, right at the 17th minute of the match. The lions ended up postponing the conquest of the championship for the last round.

The green and white team will return to the field next Thursday, December 18th, against Santa Clara, in a match related to the round of 16 of the Portuguese Cup. The match against the team led by Vasco Matos will be played at 6:45 PM, at the opponent's ground, in the Azores.

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