Varandas on Sporting’s defence, coach and Villas-Boas outburst | OneFootball

Frederico Varandas left nothing unsaid at the Gala Rugidos de Leão. The President of Sporting gave a speech at the ceremony that honored the Club of Alvalade’s leading figures. He defended Rui Borges, spoke about the refereeing controversies, and even took a few jabs at the rival Presidents, Rui Costa and André Villas-Boas.

Defense of Rui Borges:

"I will speak about four topics. The first is right here in front of me: mister Rui Borges. Let me tell you, last season, I did not like the way the coach was treated. I didn’t like it. I thought that after winning the championship and the Portuguese Cup... things not only didn’t change, but got worse. But above all, what bothers me most, personally, and which I’ve never seen before, there’s no memory of it, is the constant allusion to the coach and his hometown. It’s as if Mirandela is from another planet. As if they are inferior. I don’t know the reasons for the disrespect towards Rui from Mirandela. For us, respect must be for everyone, whether it’s Rui from Mirandela, Rui from Setúbal, or Rui from Lisbon. It’s the same, my friends. Mister, do you know what your problem is? It’s that you don’t put on that communication show, because nowadays a coach doesn’t need to understand football, but the pre-match spectacle... that’s what matters. Rest assured, because for us, what matters is having a coach who makes us national champions, a coach who gives us a double. Who makes us competitive in the Champions League, even with a very tough draw. Rest assured."

Rivals and the Portuguese Cup Final:

"Number two: the way we handle defeat. Do I like losing? No, I hate it. Like so many other things, but it’s part of it. We will all lose. What we control is how we react to defeat. I always prefer to react with dignity. Sporting reacts to defeat with dignity. We don’t take the easiest, most comfortable way, but the most dignified. That’s the first step to winning again, it’s to lose with dignity and know why we lost. And here begins the big difference with our rivals. We were the club that won the most in Portugal in recent times, in all sports and in football. Three championships, we are two-time champions and we won the double, but there’s a narrative our rivals use and abuse to create the perception that Sporting dominates everything. We dominate everything. They talk about the green cloak, but as a man of science, I prefer reality to perception. Of the first three championships won, they were won with the social bodies that had been there for fifteen years, when the rivals were winning a lot. Did we control those social bodies? Let’s talk about the third title. Halfway through the year, Pedro Proença won, but this candidacy had the particularity of having almost unanimous support from all the clubs in the League. We met with him and wanted to hear about the project, the team, and what he wanted to do with Portuguese football. Sporting, Benfica, FC Porto, and SC Braga, we all listened. A year later, they say everything was green. Are the presidents of Benfica and FC Porto fools? I don’t think so. Sporting did not nominate anyone for any list of the FPF’s social bodies. Let’s stick to the facts. In 2023/24, Sporting had more points, more wins, the best attack, the best player. In 2024/25, the best attack, more points, best defense, best player. Were there doubts? It was the second in a row, so they insist on the green cloak rhetoric, but even so, didn’t the media say that Sporting was the most harmed of the big three during the season? And even so, we won... but green cloak! What was the problem with all this? The Portuguese Cup final, a final that, even during the election campaign, they say was taken from Benfica. That’s not fair. The Cup was taken. Let’s talk factually about that game. Sporting had more shots, more possession, more clear chances, more corners, more passes. It wasn’t 1-0 or 2-1, it was 3-1. It was Matheus Reis’s fault, who should have been sent off. It was Matheus’s fault that Renato Sanches committed a childish penalty. It was Matheus’s fault that he scored the goal. It was Matheus’s fault that Harder scored the second goal. It was Matheus’s fault that Trincão did what he did for the third goal. I bet that with a few more minutes, Matheus would be blamed for a few more goals. For God’s sake, I am really surprised by the total lack of self-reflection. And here, my friends, one of the things that irritates me most, part of the media is to blame. Not all, but part. Commentators, journalists, spin doctors. They say that when the big clubs lose, we’re all the same, because there’s no courage to criticize the big club presidents. They all do the same in defeat, all make excuses... No, my friends. We don’t all do the same."

Criticism of Benfica and FC Porto:

"And, back to reality, only Benfica made 20 communications in the last two years: official statements, social media posts, newsletter statements, and interventions by their president about refereeing. In two years, the president of the other rival made 19. In the same period, Sporting made two communications. I was the one who spoke both times. One was two years ago, after a visit to a Núcleo, after a game with poor refereeing where I was asked what I thought and I, in a moment of candor, said that Sporting fans were traumatized by that referee. The second was in an interview in March this year, where they say I influenced the refereeing. A lie told often enough can become truth, but it wasn’t true. I served the suspension and was acquitted. I criticized a toxic communication from FC Porto about refereeing which, for me, was influencing referees. Two communications against 20 and 19. I ask: do we all do the same? No, my friends, we don’t. You might ask if we made fewer communications because Sporting won everything. That’s not true. We reached the ridiculous point of seeing a rival make a statement on the eve of a final criticizing the referee; we saw another rival criticize a referee for a B team game, because the fine is only a few hundred euros. The problem is the regulations. Sporting is 200% with APAF to toughen the regulations. Punish, but punish hard, whether it’s Benfica, FC Porto, or Sporting. Sporting finished second and fourth, and the president of Sporting said it was our own fault, exclusively our own fault. Besides the two fourth places, Sporting lost a Portuguese Cup in May to FC Porto. Did Sporting speak out? Did it attack the refereeing? No. Then, a Super Cup with FC Porto. Did Sporting blame the refereeing? No. Sporting lost the League Cup to Benfica. Did we make excuses or speak out? No. A Super Cup with Benfica. Did we make excuses or speak out? No. No, we don’t all react the same way. I repeat. No, we don’t throw sand in people’s eyes. We don’t cowardly hide behind unsigned posts. We lose with dignity."

Controversial corner in the Azores and poor pitch conditions, with a "mole":

"Point three: the corner in the Azores. After the scandal that was the Portuguese Cup final against Benfica, here comes another scandal, proof that the green cloak is strong. Colossal error, ridiculous error, very serious error, said Benfica and FC Porto. Let’s, factually, analyze the error: the linesman wrongly awarded a corner to Sporting. In the stands, I didn’t even notice the error, so strange was the ball’s trajectory. And why was it strange? Because football was being played on a disgrace of a pitch. It looked like the ball had a mole underneath. The linesman was influenced by the poor state of the pitch and, imagine, awarded a corner! He awarded a corner! It’s as if he had awarded a penalty, but imagine, he made a mistake and gave a corner. Just look and analyze why he gave a corner. A corner, that lethal moment that has a 3% goal conversion rate, with eleven on the field. And we were down to ten, so maybe it’s easier to score. But I’ll admit the corner turned into a penalty. Corner equals goal, I’ll admit it. So, let’s analyze the first half, wasn’t it Luis Suárez who took a shot I thought would be a goal, but the goalkeeper saved it and the referee awarded a goal kick. My friends, what now? Did they take a goal from us in the first half? The error is identical. Only the consequences can’t be assessed in the first. My friends, pure demagoguery, lack of seriousness, and have some shame. History is curious and plays tricks on us. Wasn’t it in 2019/20, I was at Estádio da Luz on the last matchday, when Sporting had a bad season through our own fault, and a draw would guarantee third place. Benfica and Sporting, we were tied, and the referee awarded a wrong corner to Benfica? Benfica scored. Sporting lost 2-1 at Luz with a wrongly awarded corner. Did Sporting speak out? Sporting was sentenced to fourth place and had to play the Europa League qualifiers, which we lost. Because of a wrongly awarded corner! Where are the offended virgins now? After the Azores scandal, it wasn’t just Benfica or FC Porto putting out statements. In the newspapers, an hour later, I saw a Federation source saying the referee would be sidelined and there would be measures... Over a wrongly awarded corner! I’ve never seen the Federation put out news that a referee would be sidelined for missing, how many corners or penalties wrongly awarded, how many? What I saw was very serious. It was a Federation source burning the referee in the public square for wrongly awarding a corner. Do you know what that means and why it’s dangerous: because it’s a message that if you make mistakes... There can’t be communication in this case. I supported the Federation bodies, but if they don’t have the backbone to withstand propaganda and rhetoric that is false, because they know there’s no green cloak... I never called to ask about a referee, I don’t even know Sporting’s referees... If you don’t have the backbone, give up, you’re not cut out for this, but it’s also fair to say I was very relieved and happy to see the press conference from the Refereeing Council, with courage, saying they will never again allow past practices to threaten referees. It annoys me when they say refereeing is worse. Analyze it. It’s not. What’s worse is the desperation over Sporting possibly winning the third straight championship."

Attack on André Villas-Boas and the Fábio Veríssimo case:

"Point four: the video of shame [alleged video shown on a TV to Fábio Veríssimo at halftime of FC Porto-SC Braga]. January 2024: Villas-Boas, during his campaign, said it’s time to build a winning future with principles of ethics and transparency. Across the country, people said a breath of fresh air was coming. Today, unfortunately, I can say what the whole country has already realized. It’s not a breath of fresh air, it’s staleness, the worst hypocrisy Portuguese football has ever known. We’re not talking about a heated moment. We’re talking about something premeditated. Videos from a youth tournament. It’s too bad. It’s too low. More than once, I’ve heard the current FC Porto president criticize everything and everyone. The League, the Federation, the rivals, who do nothing to enhance the image of Portuguese football. I ask, is there anything worse for the image than these third-world practices? No, there isn’t. And I confess I’m surprised how the media lost interest in this... Premeditated, planned, and executed. This isn’t over. After this, FC Porto issued a statement with seven points. They attack the Federation, the referee, the rivals, with mistakes from other games with other referees. This really happened, it’s from the real world, not perception. Of the seven points, not one expresses regret, an apology, or says it won’t happen again. Doesn’t this shock you? There were no values, no ethics, no dignity. Do you know what went wrong for them? It’s that when they wrote this manual, referees didn’t write things down, they were afraid. But they forgot that today, there are referees with courage, who don’t let themselves be intimidated, who write things down. I want to appeal here to all referees to write everything: threats from directors, insults from presidents, videos playing in their dressing room. Write everything, whether it’s Benfica, FC Porto, or Sporting. If it’s Sporting, I’ll be the first to criticize. After these two sad moments, we had a bizarre moment. I was watching Famalicão-FC Porto and there was a refereeing protest, they said they would enter the field alone, but didn’t FC Porto’s team show solidarity and enter with the referees against the pressure on refereeing? You have to have no shame. You have to have the nerve to treat people like idiots. Who wrote that manual? The previous president of FC Porto. There’s a world of difference between me and him, but I have to admit he was extremely intelligent and would never have done this second part. It’s simply pathetic. Still on the FC Porto president, I heard him very worried about VAR and the poor conditions in which VAR is installed in various Portuguese stadiums. It’s not enough to have good stadiums, you also need someone who doesn’t go there to turn off the VAR."

Difference from the rivals and final statements:

"We are not the same and we don’t want to be the same. More than words, what matters are actions, and actions last forever. I see my presidency as fulfilling a mission. The day will come when that mission ends. On the day it ends, regardless of the victories and defeats, what matters most to me is that I never betrayed the principles, values, and dignity of Sporting. Sporting fans, to finish, I want to say that, over the weekend, we were in the Azores and there was a moment that marked me. In seven years, I keep some moments forever. After our captain scored, the stadium was packed with a central and upper stand, only with Sporting fans. And then I felt, and you could hear it, when I got home and rewound to watch again. The fans didn’t stop singing two-time champion, two-time champion, two-time champion. I felt it, the players felt it, the coaches felt it, the fans felt it, shouting to the world: This is the strength of a champion! We’re here, but there will be days when our players won’t be at their best, when things won’t go well, when everything goes wrong. They are no different from you in this room. Who’s never had a bad day at work? Our players have already given us so much, I’ll be grateful to them for the rest of my life. For the magical nights at Marquês and Jamor. That’s worth more than a truckload of money. I support them to the end, side by side. We know well what our third championship would mean to our rivals. We’re already experiencing the fight it will be. Tell me? Is there anything better in life than fighting for something, for a dream, for something unforgettable, extraordinary, that will cross generations? Fight with us, side by side, with pride and joy in belonging to the best Sporting you’ve ever seen in your life. Let’s continue our fight. Long live Sporting! Long live the champion, long live the strength of the champion!"

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