André Villas-Boas: Porto hard done by in matches, dodgy calls | OneFootball

During the visit to the FC Porto House in Vale de Cambra, as part of the celebrations for the 25th anniversary of the delegation, André Villas-Boas spoke with journalists about this morning's meeting at the City of Football with the presidents of Benfica, Sporting, Sp. Braga, and with Pedro Proença.

“It was cordial. Now we have greater interests and a very specific promise regarding sports betting in international leagues that we want to see clarified. That's what the president of the Federation did, and we await him to keep his word,” he mentioned on the subject.

With the return to competitions almost happening, this is a symbolic moment to celebrate the anniversary of this FC Porto House… “An important moment for this House, for all those who support FC Porto. It's 25 years, a very special anniversary. 25 years of dedication to FC Porto, and it is important for us to mark these moments on a day when we also announce the recent growth in FC Porto's membership, which gained 16,000 members in 5 months. And all these dynamics that the Houses instill are fundamental for FC Porto to increase its membership and growth.”

What are your expectations for this return? “A very demanding cycle in terms of schedule, various games from different competitions. FC Porto's commitment is to victory, and that has been the commitment of this team, which has delighted us with its focus and sense of responsibility from the start. We have taken good and important steps, but there is still a long way to go until the [national] title and several titles. Feet firmly on the ground, continue to support the team at this stage. Also, thank the members for the support they have given us, particularly at the Dragão and in the coming months. It's important to feel the support in this aspect, so feet firmly on the ground until the end and continuing in this positive manner is what we most desire.”

Was any guarantee given by those responsible for refereeing? “No guarantee, there was an explanation regarding the incidents, the current situation of refereeing. Clearly, in recent times we have noticed the transparency with which the CA and its president want to act. And its national technical director. We will see how developments unfold in the coming rounds and if there are improvements regarding refereeing. Better criteria, decisions, having some uniformity. What FC Porto understands is that there is no uniformity of criteria, there is duality. And then it seems evident to me that there is no clear way to communicate with the public opinion. In our understanding, there are certain analysts who are used as a vehicle to transmit messages from the technical direction of refereeing, which I think are not being completely impartial. Therefore, we made our observation, our alert to the president of the Federation and the president of the CA, and we are on alert for the upcoming refereeing. Evidently, there is the right to error, to make mistakes, but FC Porto fights for uniformity of criteria and has been harmed in some games and dubious incidents. In this case, we made our analysis, discussed with the president of the CA at the Federation, and we will see if there are improvements. The purpose is improvements, that's what was promised. Now we will wait.”

Tomorrow there will be a General Assembly of FC Porto, and the expulsion of some members will be voted on… “The GA will hear the appeals from the members regarding the proposal for exclusion. The GA is supreme, dictates the laws of what the future of FC Porto is, and will thus decide on this matter as well.”

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