Porto feel unfairly treated over fixtures vs Benfica, Sporting | OneFootball

FC Porto believes it has been put at a disadvantage compared to Benfica and Sporting in the decisions made by the Permanent Calendar Committee of Liga Portugal, which is responsible for setting the schedule for the upcoming matchdays.

The national press reports that the meeting was tense, lasted more than four hours, and only a vote allowed the calendar to be finalized.

The newspaper OJogo writes that FC Porto was unhappy to learn that it would have fewer days of rest than its main rivals in the title race. The club from Invicta feels that there was an alignment between the two Lisbon clubs that worked against them.

FC Porto’s December schedule is particularly packed: they face Malmo on December 11, Estrela da Amadora on the 15th, Famalicão on the 18th, Alverca on the 22nd, and Aves SAD on December 27.

In contrast, Sporting will benefit from a longer break between the Portuguese Cup round of 16, on December 17 against Santa Clara, and the 15th round of the Primeira Liga, scheduled for December 23 away at Vitória de Guimarães.

According to OJogo, the justification for Sporting’s longer rest period is related to a trip to the Azores—an argument that FC Porto rejected, claiming that they too have played away games on Thursdays in UEFA competitions and then played again on Sunday in the Primeira Liga.

The topic prompted a comment from Francesco Farioli, FC Porto’s coach, after the 3-0 victory over Nice.

“It is certainly important to improve the ranking. From what I understand, in the upcoming matches we will not receive the same treatment as our colleagues, but we’ll see when they give us the schedule,” he commented.

FC Porto was demanding an equitable schedule among the title contenders, to ensure equal conditions during a period of high physical and logistical demands, such as Christmas.

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