Statement: FC Porto slam Liga Portugal after Arouca v FC Porto postponed | OneFootball

FC Porto strongly criticized the rescheduling of the match for the 7th round of the Liga Portugal Betclic against Arouca, which was initially set for September 28.

In a statement, the club holds Liga Portugal, FC Arouca, the Arouca City Council, and the authorities responsible for the lack of planning, reminding that the Arouca Harvest Festival and the club’s presence in the top division “are constant and recurring facts” and that such elements should have been anticipated before the competition’s draw.

FC Porto refused to play the match on September 29 (Monday), as this would mean playing three matches in the same week and would shorten the recovery period before the European clash with Red Star and the classic against SL Benfica. The club proposed October 30 as an alternative, but the League unilaterally rescheduled the game for Monday at 8:00 PM, a time which, according to the Dragons, “is not provided for in the regulations.”

The blue and whites also accuse the League of harming Portuguese clubs and the national coefficient in UEFA, ironically referencing the initiative recently presented by the League:

“Seven days after announcing Meta 2028, the League takes away a day of rest from FC Porto before a European match.”

The statement emphasizes that these “backstage maneuvers” will not deter the team from its competitive path.

Here is the full statement:

In the 2025/26 season, FC Arouca is participating for the ninth time in the top division. The Arouca Harvest Festival takes place annually in that municipality in September. Despite these two facts being constant and recurring over time, neither Liga Portugal, FC Arouca, the Arouca City Council, nor the prevention and security authorities were able to foresee in a timely manner—before the Liga Portugal draw held last July 4—the impossibility of FC Arouca hosting matches during the city’s festival weekend.

The current competitive calendar for clubs participating in European competitions means that managing recovery times between matches is crucial for team performance and, more importantly, for managing the physical condition of the athletes. The 7th round match of Liga Portugal was scheduled between two international commitments for FC Porto and on the round preceding the classic between FC Porto and SL Benfica.

Following an order signed by Margarida Belém, president of the Arouca City Council, Liga Portugal announced that the safety conditions were not met for the match originally scheduled for September 28 at 8:30 PM, which is why it had to be postponed due to force majeure. The lack of planning in defining the sports calendar and the inability of Liga Portugal to find a solution for this episode demonstrate an unacceptable lack of preparation, to the detriment of professional clubs and Portugal’s coefficient in the UEFA ranking, at a decisive time for the future of Portuguese football, when the much-desired overtaking of the Netherlands is starting to seem less likely than losing a spot to Belgium.

From the very first moment, FC Porto informed Liga Portugal that it would not be available to cooperate in rescheduling the match for the following day—Monday, September 29—as such a change would force FC Porto to play three matches in the same week—curiously, the week of a classic—and would result in reduced rest time before the match against Red Star, three days later. Alternatively, FC Porto suggested October 30, a date within the six weeks provided for in paragraph 2 of article 42 of the Competition Regulations for rescheduling the match, the only free week available and one that would not directly affect the Club’s participation in the Europa League.

FC Arouca never showed willingness to accept the proposed alternative date, and Liga Portugal decided unilaterally to reschedule the match for Monday, September 29, in disregard of the provision in point b) of paragraph 1 of article 46 of the Competition Regulations, which clearly states that scheduling within 30 hours of the initially established date does not apply in situations where “one of the clubs involved has to play an official UEFA competition match the following week, in which case the match will be held, or completed, on a date to be agreed between the clubs or, failing agreement, Liga Portugal will decide the date and time of the match.” To ensure at all costs the scheduling of the match on this date, Liga Portugal set 8:00 PM as the start time—a time not provided for in the regulations.

On September 10, the president of Liga Portugal, Reinaldo Teixeira, pompously announced the Meta 2028 project, which aims to present “a set of measures to promote the rise to sixth place in the UEFA ranking.” Seven days later, Reinaldo Teixeira and his Executive Board made the political decision to take away a day of rest from FC Porto before a European match. Although only Reinaldo Teixeira can clarify the motivations that led him to make this decision, perhaps the concerns raised by FC Porto during the League’s electoral period help to understand this stance.

After yet another sad episode that embarrasses Portuguese football, we will await the next opinion articles from the League’s executive directors so we can once again dive into the imaginary world of a differentiated, professional, international, and marketable League.

All these backstage maneuvers and interests will not divert FC Porto and its football team from the path they have set.

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