Villas-Boas hits out at Sporting and Varandas again: more pettiness | OneFootball

André Villas-Boas once again put Sporting at the center of his criticism in a message published in Porto’s magazine, where he addressed several recent episodes involving the Lions, from football — such as the recent controversial arrival at the Dragão — to handball, while also sending direct messages to Frederico Varandas.

"Some people keep trying to sell the idea that ‘if VAR had existed earlier’ they would have won more titles for their beloved club. It is a recurring and telling lament. Telling because, with or without VAR, there was one reality those ‘aggrieved parties’ had to swallow: in their time, Porto won the European Cup, won the Champions League, won the UEFA Cup, won the Europa League, and won the Intercontinental Cup twice! It won the national title, became two-time champions, three-time champions, four-time champions, five-time champions. And that trauma, apparently, has not gone away. It causes itching. It bothers them. And that is why at the Dragão we witnessed yet another episode of that small-mindedness: the choice of a discreet entrance, through the back door, to avoid facing head-on the weight of Porto’s history. When history weighs heavily, some prefer not to face it. We live with it every day, because it was we who built it with our sweat and the demanding standards that set us apart, something that, for them, will always be unattainable, with or without VAR".

The Porto president also addressed the recent handball case, assuring calm on the blue-and-white side: "Porto is absolutely calm and cooperating with the justice system. It has everything that happened, what was done and what was not done, thoroughly documented. And those involved who chose insults and attempts to tarnish the institution will answer for it to the fullest extent. At Porto, defending the club is not an emotional reaction: it is a firm, sustained, and well-documented position. And whoever chooses to attack the institution will have to pay the price for those choices. All this reached the point where they were begging for urgent meetings at the highest political level. And when sport reaches this level of degradation, the country should understand the scale of the problem or the inferiority complex of some people. What we saw afterward was the portrait of a strange time: scripts read from paper by a president, so as not to miss the narrative of his communications advisers, and a communications machine permanently mobilized to manufacture perceptions, as if football were a studio and not a game".

Villas-Boas also spoke of an alleged attempt to shape public opinion, pointing the finger at the Sporting world: "But this phenomenon that has been seen this season is happening not only with Porto, but also with referees who, inadvertently, make mistakes against Sporting. On channels aligned with the green shirt, referees are dissected in all their decisions, as if an error were a betrayal of the Lisbon club and as if public pressure were a legitimate instrument for ‘correcting’ the game. This, yes, seems to be the new ‘system’ of Portuguese football: shaping perceptions, shaping atmospheres, shaping decisions. Today it is the penalty episode, tomorrow it is the rebound, then the ‘educational’ card, next the white card, and the truth of the game is left hostage to whichever way the script blows".

Finally, he left a message of support for coach Francesco Farioli and called for unity at the decisive moment of the season: "On top of this there have been countless personal and professional attacks on our coach, Francesco Farioli, by different pundits. Some without a journalist’s license and merely commentators, others who do not even respect their own credentials and are sometimes journalists, sometimes conveniently commentators, attack with hatred, foul language, and insinuations that, in any minimally serious context, would be unacceptable. Farioli works, shows his face, leads, takes risks, takes responsibility. And for that very reason, he becomes a target. But let me make this very clear: Porto protects its own. And it protects them firmly, because here, ‘in the North,’ our own are untouchable. But the focus must remain on what matters. The championship is here. The final step is here. So near and yet so far at the same time. And the response must be the same as always: focus, unity, and work. No celebrations. No distractions. No noise, but with the need for all your strength. I’m counting on you".

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