FC Porto hits back with facts, Pinto “wants delegates at Dragão, 22 April” | OneFootball

“For a long time now, the situation has smelled bad.” The phrase comes from Vítor Pinto, deputy editor of Record, and sums up how the journalist views the controversy that preceded the handball clássico between FC Porto and Sporting — a controversy which, in his opinion, goes far beyond the scope of the Portuguese Handball Federation.

On Sporting’s side, there are photographs, there is testimony from the medical staff — Ricardo Costa and Cristian Mogá — and there are reports of players getting changed in the corridor because of the conditions in the dressing room. On FC Porto’s side, absolutely everything is disputed, based on the letter of the law: the club says it informed the Handball Federation and called the PSP to the scene.

Vítor Pinto wants to know what is in the police report. And he has a very specific question about the Federation delegate, Rosa Pontes: if she did indeed feel unwell — as Sporting claims — how was it possible for her, or her colleague Carlos Oliveira, to decide that there were conditions for the match to go ahead?

For the journalist, the answer is simple: if, in an equivalent situation, it were Rui Borges or Francesco Farioli refusing to take the field because of a toxic smell in the dressing room, no one would accept the match going ahead. In handball, the delegates decided that conditions were acceptable. Vítor Pinto disagrees — and makes it clear that any club, in any sport, that refuses to play in a situation like this will always have his support.

Another point of conflict: Sporting coach Ricardo Costa did not go to the bench. FC Porto has CCTV footage which, according to the club, shows the coach celebrating goals and giving instructions at half-time. On the Sporting side, the reported symptoms — heart palpitations and respiratory irritation — are consistent with exposure to the smell in the dressing room. Porto’s version is that the medical information they received pointed to gastroenteritis. Vítor Pinto notes that, regardless of the diagnosis, there was a real health issue — and that the theory of a plot to harm FC Porto is not credible to anyone.

With the second leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-final scheduled for 22 April at the Estádio do Dragão, Vítor Pinto has a very direct message for the Portuguese Football Federation: do not cut corners on delegates. The journalist asks that all critical areas be covered — so that there are no complaints from either side, no doubts, and no more exchanges of accusations.

And he goes further: he argues that the political authorities must intervene. Not because they want to, he stresses, but because the situation has already gone beyond football, has already spread to other sports, and no single sporting body any longer has enough authority to bring all those responsible to account. It is time for a serious warning shot.

“This has to stop,” Vítor Pinto concludes. And the smell, that one, has lasted far too long.

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