Roberto Martínez on Sporting snub: I'll be very honest... | OneFootball

Roberto Martínez responded once and for all to the limited use of Sporting players - whether in his call-ups or in the playing time that the national champions have in the National Team. The Spaniard stated he is "neutral" and denied that this is related to the Club.

During a lunch-debate attended by various guests, officials, and leaders connected to companies and associates of the International Club of Portugal, which organized the session, the National Coach was confronted with the cases of Pedro Gonçalves, Francisco Trincão, and Geovany Quenda.

"I will be very honest, because that is a criticism that is a lie: I heard that the coach doesn't like Sporting players, but the coach is neutral. The coach was born in Spain, worked in England, and for the last seven years worked in Belgium, he has no allegiance, no past [in Portugal], he makes decisions to win games and never conditions a player's minutes, he conditions the call-up," he began by saying.

"But there are many players who are unlucky to be in the same positions as incredible players like Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Cristiano Ronaldo, Diogo Costa... It's very difficult to break through, but if a player reaches the National Team and doesn't play, it's not because the coach doesn't choose him. When the player is in training camp, the coaching staff is neutral and the choice is the best player per position to win the game for the Portuguese people," he emphasized, also leaving a message.

"My responsibility is to monitor all players, because if they do a good job at their club, they deserve to be called up. But to play in the National Team, it's not the coach, it's the player during the training camp and during the practices. For example, Carlos Forbs was the last player to arrive and played many minutes. It's a good reflection... The coach never makes the decision for a player not to play, only makes the decision of who plays," concluded Roberto Martínez.

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