André Villas-Boas, the president of FC Porto, recently addressed the club`s upcoming challenges and didn`t shy away from directing criticism towards rivals Sporting and Benfica. In his latest editorial for Dragões magazine, Villas-Boas outlined the club`s future direction and also took a jab at the Lisbon-based clubs, referring to “holy alliances in the second circular.”
Villas-Boas began by stating, “Football finds itself at a crossroads, facing numerous challenges that, in various aspects, question its very integrity. We are witnessing movements that seek to impose environments susceptible to illegitimate interests, distorting the true spirit of competition.”
He continued, pointing to “the interests of dubious investors persistently trying to force their way into Portuguese football, the murky atmosphere surrounding sports betting involving direct participants, as recently seen in the NBA and Turkish football. Added to this is a national partisanship that increasingly allows centralism to shamelessly take hold, whether through a saturated media system that pollutes more than it clarifies, or through `holy alliances` within the Second Circular [a metaphorical reference to Lisbon-based clubs] that aim to weaken FC Porto, its values, and principles.”
Villas-Boas then assured that he is prepared for the inevitable commentary regarding the refereeing of Monday`s Moreirense-FC Porto match.
He remarked, “We are bracing ourselves for a week of intense mental gymnastics from sports commentators, oscillating between the uncalled penalty at Estádio do Dragão for Deniz Gül`s shirt pull and the penalty awarded in Moreira de Cónegos for Victor Froholdt`s shirt pull. FC Porto understands that the weight of our blue and white jersey, and its pink alternate, is the same; as for the weight of others` jerseys, we prefer not to comment.”
Finally, the Dragons` president conveyed a message of appreciation to the fans, urging them to mobilize during this crucial phase of the season.
He emphasized, “Without overstating, the critical stage of the season we are in demands absolute commitment from all of us Portistas. Following the victory in Moreira de Cónegos, difficult matches against SC Braga and Famalicão await, with an away trip to Utrecht in between.”
Villas-Boas highlighted these upcoming three clashes for the `blue and whites` to reinforce the `culture of victory,` stressing the importance of continued massive support everywhere.
He concluded, “The culture of victory that defines us must be lived daily, without compromise. An entire structure works, grounded in a clear strategy, to create the best working conditions, and therefore we always demand maximum loyalty, seriousness, discipline, and professionalism from our athletes. But it is also crucial that they feel the fervent passion and the unconditional, massive support from all of you – in the streets, in online forums, on social media, in the stands, even when we face a setback. As our coach Francesco Farioli very aptly put it in his native language, we are a `famiglia.` The Portista family.`“
It is worth noting that FC Porto currently leads the I Liga with 25 points, three points ahead of second-placed Sporting.
Mark Thompson
