Villas-Boas brushes off Porto’s dark past, says Sporting sway referees | OneFootball

At the entrance to the Portugal Football Globes gala, held in Lisbon, André Villas-Boas did not mince words and directed direct criticism at the presidents of Sporting and Benfica, holding them responsible for creating a climate of pressure on the refereeing sector.

"The only thing I've noticed is the absence of one of the best Portuguese VARs, Tiago Martins, who has been widely criticized by the president of Sporting and Benfica and is absent from the Classics," he began, speaking to journalists.

The Porto leader said that this pressure has had a direct impact on the decisions of the Refereeing Council: "The coercion made by the presidents of the rivals has a direct impact on the nominations. Tiago Martins was in the final of the Women's Champions and is supposedly recognized as one of the best VARs, but he ceased to exist for the big games... How is mediocrity rewarded with a classic?", questioned Villas-Boas, in a critical tone.

André Villas hinted that Sporting and Benfica have taken on a role of constant public complaint: "I don't know if this level of communication is having an impact on the nominations, but I can't help but notice obvious facts for everyone. We don't want to be in that position and get into the same game as the others. We are all anxious to see who will be awarded the 'Calimero of the Year' award today. There is no shortage of candidates...", he said, smiling.

With these statements, the Porto president reignites the climate of tension between the major national clubs, denouncing what he considers to be interference and conditioning in refereeing by rivals, and promising to keep Porto away from this "communication game".

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