José Fernando Rio: “Sporting rig the game against Porto” | OneFootball

The clash between FC Porto and Sporting shows no signs of easing, and the tension between the two rivals is growing by the day. Accusations keep flying, and for now there is no indication of a thaw. Speaking to Desporto ao Minuto, José Fernando Rio, a candidate for the FC Porto presidency in 2020, commented on the dispute and acknowledged that neither club is blameless.

“The bad atmosphere between Sporting and Porto has set in and is escalating; I think it stems from the rivalry on the pitch. This year, they have been competing for the main trophies here in Portugal. I think there needs to be some calm, because this is not good for football or for sport. Neither side is innocent, and neither side is entirely to blame,” he began.

“Despite the duels this season in the Primeira Liga and the Portuguese Cup, this tension is not new. We all remember that Frederico Varandas already had problems with FC Porto’s former president, Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa, with whom he was quite rude. So this is not a problem that started this season, even if it has deepened,” he continued.

José Fernando Rio has no doubt that “Frederico Varandas wanted to raise his standing among Sporting supporters at the expense of Pinto da Costa at first, and now at the expense of André Villas-Boas.”

“Varandas’ attitude has been provocative and even arrogant”

The lawyer says he does not want to place all the responsibility on Sporting’s president, but he does not forget the behavior Frederico Varandas has shown.

“I also don’t want to put all the blame on Frederico Varandas, but the truth is that his attitude has often been provocative, even arrogant, with a sense of superiority. As an FC Porto supporter, I don’t like seeing that and I feel a little offended by that stance. That said, Sporting have won titles on merit, and no one can take away the credit for their achievements,” he said.

Essentially, José Fernando Rio argues that there is no point in feeding these “dirty wars and word games,” even though he believes that has been Frederico Varandas’ approach.

“Every time Sporting’s president has spoken, he has ended up insulting the FC Porto president in a very undignified way, calling him a liar and a coward. This is not the way forward. I recognize blame on both sides, but I place more blame on Sporting’s president,” he pointed out.

Sporting controls the system and “has been favored”

But the man who challenged Pinto da Costa in 2020 did not stop there and went on to accuse Sporting of controlling the system. For that reason, he does not criticize FC Porto’s board for its stance, since the blue-and-white club “has to fight against several teams.”

“It is very difficult to defend FC Porto’s interests here in Portugal, because the system is always against Porto. And at this moment, the one controlling it is Sporting. So FC Porto feels it has to fight against opposing teams and even the refereeing teams,” he reiterated, before recalling Braga-FC Porto in the latest round of the Primeira Liga.

“The match in Braga was an absolute disgrace; they tried to take Porto out of the title race. Fortunately, FC Porto were superior. On top of that, this postponement of Sporting’s match has been very poorly explained. There is a series of episodes that make FC Porto have to play more than the others, fight more than the others, protest more than the others in order to be treated more fairly,” he lamented.

José Fernando Rio also gave another example of what he sees as Sporting’s impunity, recalling Luis Suárez’s sending-off in the first leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-finals.

“Suárez got a one-match suspension for that provocative gesture, but he assaulted Bednarek and was not punished for that. There is a sense of injustice that forces FC Porto to be stronger in defending its interests,” he said.

Controversy in the handball Clássico

The lawyer says that what happened before the handball match “has to be clarified,” although he believes it was an “accident.” Even so, he argues that the situation should be investigated, although he considers Sporting’s request for a meeting with the Government to be a complete exaggeration.

“I think it was an accident, but it has to be clarified and investigated. That is not only a matter for handball’s disciplinary bodies, but also for the police themselves,” he said.

Sporting’s advantages

José Fernando Rio has no doubt that Sporting benefits from several bodies and that this ends up being reflected in sporting advantages.

“The fact is that Sporting has managed to get the system to benefit both the League Board, the League’s Refereeing Committee, and the League’s Disciplinary Committee. It is very difficult to fight against this in any way other than by making noise, exposing situations, and filing those complaints. Porto has to complain because if Porto does not complain, nothing changes,” he said.

However, the lawyer also believes that Sporting’s more combative stance comes from Frederico Varandas’ personality and from the fact that he “has the backing of the fanbase.”

“I don’t see any Sporting supporter criticizing this kind of gesture and these kinds of statements from their president. So I don’t see him slowing down at all in this frenzied pace of attacking Porto with or without reason,” he added.

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