Ricardo Costa backs Villas-Boas: “I had high blood pressure” | OneFootball

After Sporting’s victory over Wisla Plock in the Handball Champions League, Ricardo Costa, the Lions’ coach, was asked about Saturday’s events at Dragão Arena and responded harshly.

“I will not accept people questioning my professionalism when they accuse me of abandoning my athletes. I’ve been in sport for more than 30 years, I’ve been insulted in many arenas and I can live with that. What I cannot live with are attacks on my integrity. I wouldn’t wish on anyone what I went through. But what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. I firmly believe in that saying,” said the 44-year-old coach.-

“We didn’t put on any circus. I went to the ambulance, my blood pressure was 17/10, and the doctor gave me a pill and said: ‘You need to calm down.’ The game started, I went and sat by the dressing room door, in a corridor, watching the game with Moga. Bringing Moga into this... I don’t know if you know where Moga is from. Don’t you know what’s happening in the Congo? He’s a warrior, a fighter... he would never put on some circus act. We didn’t put on any circus at all! We felt unwell. I’m not a police officer, I don’t work for the Public Prosecutor’s Office, I know what happened to me, I had a health problem and I couldn’t take part in the game. That’s what I know, I know nothing else.”

“I’m a healthy man, I’m someone with good habits. I went into the dressing room, stayed there for 40 seconds and came right back out. I felt very unwell, and so did other people. I asked for help, the firefighters came and said they were going to take me to the hospital. I stayed in the ambulance with the doctor. People passed by me saying we were going to play. I said: ‘Carlos Carneiro, I’m not in a condition to make decisions. Whatever you decide is fine. I didn’t want to play. I asked the doctor: ‘Can I go?’ She replied: ‘Do you want to have a heart attack?’ I said no and stayed sitting there. And I celebrated. Of course I celebrated and I will celebrate. Even if I’m dead, I’ll always celebrate!”

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