Fernando Mendes attacks FC Porto: “This is disgusting… it’ll end badly” | OneFootball

The classic clash between Sporting and FC Porto, part of the final stage of the Placard Handball Championship 1, was marked by an unusual incident even before the opening whistle. A strong smell detected in the Sporting dressing room required the presence of firefighters and ended up sending coach Ricardo Costa and player Christian Moga to hospital, while also causing discomfort to other members of the team.

Despite the seriousness of the reports, FC Porto publicly denied that any incident had taken place, a stance later reinforced by Mário Santos, general director of the club’s sports departments, who downplayed the situation and also criticized athlete Martim Costa.

Faced with these conflicting versions, the Portuguese Handball Federation launched disciplinary proceedings to determine responsibility.

“Go wearing masks”: Fernando Mendes recalls similar episode

Fernando Mendes, former Portugal international, reacted with outrage to what happened and said that cases of this kind are not unprecedented. “The advice I give Sporting’s players is that next time they should go wearing masks,” he said, before recalling an episode he experienced as a Benfica player in the late 1980s.

“Back in 1988 or 1989, the same thing happened. We had to get changed in the corridor,” he said, recalling a memorable match from that period. In the commentator’s view, this type of situation is becoming common: “This is already starting to become routine.”

The former footballer did not hold back in criticizing the dragons’ official position, using irony to mock the club’s denial. “But apparently, according to FC Porto’s statement, it’s all a lie. It was a mistake, they got it wrong... This is all a lie,” he said, in a clearly sarcastic tone.

“Someone has to get a grip on this”

In an increasingly harsh speech, Fernando Mendes cast doubt on the version presented by Porto’s officials and criticized the fact that the alleged inspection of the dressing room was carried out by the club’s own employees. “There were players there, there was a coach who collapsed, there were firefighters... but who went there? The club’s employees. And they said everything was fine. That’s curious, isn’t it?” he pointed out.

The commentator went even further in his criticism, describing the situation as “disgusting” and warning of possible consequences in the future. “This is going to end badly. It happens in various places, but here it’s becoming recurrent. People turn a blind eye and nothing happens,” he lamented.

Fernando Mendes also implied the need for firmer intervention from the relevant authorities: “Someone has to get a grip on this.”

Meanwhile, on the court, Sporting ended up winning the match 33-30, but the sporting result was clearly overshadowed by a controversy that promises to remain a major talking point in the coming days.

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