Sporting CP President Frederico Varandas launched a broad and aggressive critique of rival clubs and Portuguese football authorities, accusing them of “third-world practices” and systemic hypocrisy amid a tight championship race.
Varandas explicitly attacked FC Porto and its new president, André Villas-Boas, dismissing promises of “fresh air” as “stale and the worst hypocrisy.” He linked FC Porto to a controversial referee locker room incident, calling it a “premeditated, planned, and executed action.”
“There is nothing worse for the image of Portuguese football than these third-world practices,” Varandas stated, highlighting FC Porto’s seven-point statement after the incident lacked an apology. He also accused FC Porto of hypocrisy for expressing solidarity with referee protests, saying, “One must have no shame and the audacity to treat people as mentally retarded.”
The Sporting president criticized the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) for allegedly “burning a referee in public” by leaking information about an official’s removal following a controversial match. He challenged the FPF and the league, stating, “If the League and FPF don’t have the backbone to go against one or two big clubs at the same time, give up because you don’t have the life for this.”
Varandas attributed current tensions to “the desperation for Sporting to win the triple championship.”
He dismissed the notion of widespread referee bias against Sporting, but then argued his club was “the most penalized” of the top three clubs last year. Varandas detailed how rivals Benfica and FC Porto made significantly more official communications about refereeing—20 and 19 respectively—compared to Sporting’s two.
He advocated for severe penalties for such actions, stating, “Sporting is 200% in favor of tightening the regulation. Punish severely.” Varandas mocked specific refereeing controversies, including a questionable corner kick call in the Azores, calling it “pure demagoguery and lack of seriousness.”
He implied potential manipulation related to VAR, noting that the only two reported instances of VAR battery loss occurred at FC Porto’s Estádio do Dragão. Varandas contrasted his club’s integrity, stating, “If I or my board had planned and executed what happened in the referees’ changing room at the Dragão, I would not have the ethics to preside over this club.”
He also took a jab at José Mourinho, stating, “Míster, your problem is that you don’t do a communication show,” in defense of coach Rui Borges. Varandas concluded by urging fan support for Sporting CP’s championship bid, emphasizing the significance of the title race for rivals.