FC Porto slam Liga Portugal after Arouca match postponed | OneFootball

FC Porto vehemently criticized the rescheduling of the match for the 7th round of the Liga Portugal Betclic against Arouca, initially scheduled for September 28th.

In a statement, the club blames Liga Portugal, FC Arouca, the Municipal Chamber of Arouca, and the authorities for lack of planning, noting that the Arouca Harvest Fair and the club's presence in the main league "are constant and recurring facts" and that such elements should have been anticipated before the draw of the competition.

FC Porto refused to play the match on September 29th (Monday), as it would imply playing three matches in the same week and shorten the recovery period before the European duel with Red Star and the classic match with SL Benfica. The club proposed October 30th as an alternative, but the League unilaterally repositioned the game for Monday, at 20:00, a time that, 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, mocking the initiative recently presented by the League:

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

The statement emphasizes that these "backstage maneuvers" will not divert the team from its competitive path.

Here is the full statement:

In the 2025/26 season, FC Arouca participates for the ninth time in the main league. The Arouca Harvest Fair takes place annually in that municipality in September. Despite these two facts being constant and recurring over time, neither Liga Portugal, FC Arouca, CM Arouca, or the prevention and safety authorities were able to predict in time - before the draw of the Liga Portugal held on July 4th - the impossibility of FC Arouca hosting games on the weekend of the city's festivities.

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

Following a dispatch signed by Margarida Belém, president of CM Arouca, Liga Portugal announced that the safety conditions for the game originally scheduled for September 28th at 20:30 were not met, 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 to this episode are indicative of an unacceptable unpreparedness to the detriment of professional clubs and Portugal's coefficient in the UEFA ranking, at a decisive period for the future of Portuguese football and when the much-anticipated overtaking of the Netherlands begins to seem less likely than losing a place to Belgium.

From the outset, FC Porto informed Liga Portugal that it would not be available to collaborate in rescheduling the game for the following day - Monday, September 29th -, as such a change would force FC Porto to play three games in the same week - curiously a week of classic matches - and would result in reducing the rest time for the match against Red Star, three days later. Alternatively, FC Porto suggested October 30th, a date within the six weeks provided for in no. 2 of art. 42 of the Competition Regulations for rescheduling the game, the only available free week that would not directly affect the Club's participation in the Europa League.

FC Arouca never showed willingness to accept the alternative date proposed and Liga Portugal decided, unilaterally, to reschedule the match for Monday, September 29th, in disregard of the provision in paragraph b) of no.1 of art. 46 of the Competition Regulations which clearly states that scheduling within 30 hours following the initial 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 in the absence of 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 indicated 20:00 as the start time of the match - a time that is not provided for in the regulations.

On September 10th, the president of Liga Portugal, Reinaldo Teixeira, pompously announced the 2028 Goal project, which aims to present "a set of measures that promote the rise to the sixth place in the UEFA ranking". Seven days later, Reinaldo Teixeira and the respective 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 what motivations led him to make this decision, perhaps the concerns expressed by FC Porto in the League's electoral period help to understand this stance.

After another sad episode that shames Portuguese football, we will wait for the next opinion articles from the League's executive directors to dive back into the imaginary world of a differentiated, professional, international, and sellable League.

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

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