FC Porto challenge Liga stance on Sporting v Tondela rescheduling and cite rule breaches | OneFootball

FC Porto have challenged the Liga’s reasoning over Sporting v Tondela, calling it incompatible with competition rules.

According to O Jogo, Porto swiftly questioned the body led by Reinaldo Teixeira after it argued the match from matchday 26 was not postponed because it had never been set.

In their submission, Porto cited article 42 of the competition regulations, which requires rearranged second half fixtures to be played within four weeks, except when they fall in the final six rounds. The board led by André Villas-Boas said the provisions exist to prevent late-season delays and protect fairness for title, European and survival battles.

Porto argue the Liga’s interpretation lacks any regulatory basis and breaches its own rules, since the fixture list is fixed early by the draw with a reference date, time and venue. For Porto, that means Sporting v Tondela was effectively postponed or rearranged, and there is no concept of an unscheduled match in the regulations, nor a distinction from a postponed or rearranged game.

They also pointed to article 46, under which even force majeure changes must still observe article 42’s deadlines. Porto warn the current stance would risk opening a Pandora’s box, bypassing regulatory limits and undermining legal safeguards for sporting integrity, and say they reserve the right to act if the new date fails to comply. At Friday’s Permanent Calendars Commission meeting, Porto asked for the positions to be minuted, including Sporting’s proposal to play on six May and the Liga’s permission for the match to fall outside its reference date.

Source: O Jogo