Tiago Silva: “League did Sporting a favour, broke the rules” | OneFootball

Tiago Silva was relentless in his analysis of the postponement of the Sporting-Tondela match from the 26th round, dismantling point by point what he considers to be yet another episode of preferential treatment for the Alvalade club — this time with the direct complicity of the League.

The CMTV commentator, on his social media, began by pointing the finger at those in the media space who "shout from the rooftops that the postponement was a right granted to Sporting" because of the Champions League match the following Tuesday. For Tiago Silva, this interpretation reveals "a gross ignorance of the regulations."

The commentator went into detail: "Article 44, paragraph 5, section f) of the League Competition Regulations only allowed postponement if Sporting had played in Norway on Thursday and hosted Bodo/Glimt the following Tuesday. That was not the case." Sporting played on Wednesday, which meant they could and should have faced Tondela the following Saturday, "whether at 8 p.m., ensuring the 72 hours between the start of each match, or even earlier, as the regulation itself allows."

In Tiago Silva's view, the real reason for the postponement was another: "Sporting, already at their physical limit after three very demanding matches, would have had little time to prepare and recover. And that was not convenient at all. So the best thing was to make it convenient." He added, bluntly: "The League knows this perfectly well, but instead of enforcing the regulations and defending the integrity of the competition, decided to do Sporting a favor."

The commentator also identified an additional problem that, by itself, should have prevented the postponement: "There wasn't even a guarantee that the match could be played within the maximum 30-day deadline," a mandatory condition for postponements in the second half of the season outside the last six rounds, since there was the possibility — which materialized — that Sporting would advance in the Champions League. The result, according to Tiago Silva, is a "bizarre situation worthy of the third world": if Sporting is eliminated by Arsenal, the match will take place on April 29, practically at the end of the championship; if they advance, "no one knows when the match will take place — not even the League itself."

To highlight the double standards, Tiago Silva recalled the case of FC Porto in Arouca: "The League, because of the harvest fair, moved the match to Monday, refusing a request from FC Porto to postpone it, even knowing they would have a Europa League match the following Thursday and would host Benfica three days later."

The commentator also did not spare Benfica's management, openly questioning their silence: "What can be said about Benfica's management in the face of all this? Do they still exist? Or are they satisfied with this state of affairs?" He concluded with a reference to José Mourinho: "It's no wonder that Rui Costa's meekness is already wearing thin."

Tiago Silva's conclusion was a direct message to FC Porto fans: "It's because of all this that FC Porto has to fight against everything and everyone. It's because of all this that it would be an epic, extraordinary, and memorable achievement to reach the finish line in first place. And it's because of all this that, if we get there, it won't just be a title — it will be the conquest of those who overcame all the traps set in our path."

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