Portuguese Clubs Launch Insults But Referees Find Their Voice In Protest

After a bid of incidents involving insults and alleged intimidation that person plunged Portuguese shot into turmoil, nan country’s referees are breaking their soundlessness and protesting.

Match officials are speaking retired against what they picture arsenic intimidation from clubs and officials, staging pre-match protests successful a uncommon enactment of defiance. The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) has held emergency meetings pinch referee representatives, but clubs proceed to item arguable decisions.

So really did it travel to this? Relations betwixt referees and clubs person ne'er been lukewarm successful Portugal – immoderate clubs person historically demanded down closed doors that definite officials beryllium kept disconnected their games and successful precocious July Benfica publically criticised nan assignment of Fábio Veríssimo for their Super Cup crippled against Sporting. Yet successful caller weeks things person reached boiling point.

On 2 November Veríssimo accused Porto of pressuring him by broadcasting a replay of a disallowed extremity connected a tv successful his dressing room during half-time. With nan crippled goalless, Veríssimo had blown for a foul aft a Porto subordinate collided pinch nan Braga goalkeeper, ruling retired a extremity scored from nan loose ball. According to Veríssimo’s charismatic report, nan tv could not beryllium turned off.

Veríssimo said that aft nan match, which Porto won 2-1, nan surface switched to showing footage from a younker lucifer betwixt Porto and Benfica successful 2024, which he had besides officiated. In that game, he allowed a akin extremity – successful Benfica’s favour – aft interaction pinch Porto’s goalkeeper wrong nan six-yard box.

Benfica and Sporting person since accused Porto of trying to intimidate Veríssimo, and Sporting suggested nan triumph should beryllium annulled if Porto were recovered blameworthy of wrongdoing.

Porto, successful their only nationalist comment, did not contradict Veríssimo’s account. They released a connection listing penalties, reddish cards and different contentious calls they declare person gone against nan nine this season. Addressing Veríssimo directly, Porto accused him of threatening nine officials successful a erstwhile crippled and of seeking “revenge” during nan Braga match.

Veríssimo has not responded publically but nan FPF has defended nan referees and continues to analyse nan allegations related to nan dressing room television. André Villas-Boas, Porto’s president, said nan nine would look into that too.

Tensions further escalated a week later when, during Benfica’s lucifer against Casa Pia, a referee was allegedly threatened by a Benfica executive aft awarding a arguable penalty. “You are a fucking embarrassment,” 1 Benfica charismatic was reported to person said. Benfica were starring 2-0 and their joyousness erstwhile nan spot-kick was saved turned to despair erstwhile nan defender Tomás Araújo slammed nan shot into his ain nett successful trying to clear. A stoppage-time equaliser gave Casa Pia a draw.

Benfica’s José Mourinho confronts Gustavo Correia. Photograph: Gualter Fatia/Getty Images

José Mourinho, Benfica’s caput coach, was progressive successful a little post-match speech pinch nan referee, Gustavo Correia, though thing different was recorded. The FPF is investigating some matters. Benfica wrote connected their website supra nan video highlights that nan referee had “awarded a punishment to nan visitors without justification”.

Pedro Henriques, a erstwhile top-flight referee and erstwhile lieutenant colonel successful nan Portuguese army, believes acts of intimidation are thing caller – conscionable much sophisticated. “We’ve moved from nan accepted kicking down nan locker-room door, communal successful nan 90s, to looping images connected a tv that can’t beryllium turned off,” he says.

Henriques argues that specified gestures are often performative, meant to please supporters alternatively than sway officials. This behaviour goes mostly unpunished, pinch fines and suspensions for nan biggest clubs minimal and delayed.

“Presidents and nine board do this to show off, to say: ‘We’re watching them, we’ll scare them,’” Henriques says. “But, nan truth is, nan chance of that really influencing a referee is 0.0%.”

Even pinch VAR, mistakes happen. Last play Sporting were incorrectly awarded a precocious area astatine Santa Clara – and scored nan winning extremity from it. The separator for error, Henriques notes, has ne'er been smaller. The grant of corners is not covered by VAR but Henriques says: “The supporter’s logic is: if nan ref makes a correction and VAR doesn’t correct it, past nan referees must beryllium corrupt.”

In response, nan Portuguese Referees’ Association past play staged a symbolic protest, lucifer officials stepping connected to nan transportation without nan teams successful nan apical 2 divisions – a coordinated enactment of defiance meant to awesome they will not beryllium intimidated.

Referees, usually nan quietest figures connected nan field, person recovered their voice. The caput of nan FPF’s refereeing assembly has defended them publicly, revealing that 97% of refereeing decisions successful nan first 10 rounds were correct. Threatened officials, he said, would proceed to beryllium assigned matches.

The protests person yet to impact nan games but Portuguese shot is playing connected nan separator – and nan adjacent whistle could spark much than conscionable different controversy.