Paulo Andrade on Sporting rivals’ behaviour: bound to cause trouble | OneFootball

Paulo Andrade believes that spending life talking about referees is "terrible" and will not lead Sporting's rivals anywhere. The former director of the lions expressed his concern about the "pressure" climate that, according to him, Portuguese refereeing is currently facing.

The commentator criticized the focus on referees, suggesting that rival clubs should concentrate more on improving the football they play on the field: “They spend their lives talking about referees, talking about referees in other games and I think that's terrible. I think it leads nowhere. And it will only create problems with the referees. Referees are human beings like others,” he commented on CMTV.

Furthermore, the Sporting fan expressed the hope that things will improve in the Portuguese refereeing sector: “With work, things will improve. Now with these constant pressures, these permanent pressures on referees from clubs that have nothing to do with the games, you won't get anywhere,” said Paulo Andrade.

António Nobre was chosen by the Refereeing Council of the Portuguese Football Federation to be the main referee for the Benfica - Sporting match. The decision goes against the opinion of experts, who pointed to João Pinheiro as the favorite for the big game of the 13th round of the Liga Portugal Betclic.

The referee has already officiated 19 Sporting matches in his career. The lions have only one defeat under the Portuguese referee's whistle - last season, 2-1, against Moreirense. Additionally, there is a draw against Sevilla in the Cinco Violinos trophy, while in the remaining 17 games, Sporting always won.

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