It was like that after winning the Championship, it was like that after winning the Portuguese Cup. The wounds opened by the public statements between FC Porto and Sporting leaders, exacerbated by everything that happened in the League match in Dragão between the two, further deteriorated relations between the rivals and Pinto da Costa, president of the Blue and Whites, did not miss the opportunity leaves more “spikes” in the last intervention which he arranged, in commemoration of the 35th anniversary of the conquest of the first European Football Cup against Bayern in Vienna with goals from Madjer and Juary, at the goal of Frederico Varandas.
“Varandas must still think that he will be champion”: Pinto da Costa does not forget Sporting, Benfica, sous and politicians at the title party
“I always won the elections, not on merit, but because the partners thought that I knew how to choose the best. I have never been elected without having the largest number of voters. At FC Porto each member is a vote, so I didn’t need to have the votes of the elders to beat any rival who had more votes than me”, he shot, making a non-direct allusion to the electoral system of lions and the way in which Varandas he won the first elections at Sporting with fewer voters but more votes than João Benedito.
Now, in response, the president of the Verdiblancos did not beat around the bush, being even more critical of what had happened after that Championship match against Porto in a conference that would later end in much confusion with elements of the two clubs in the garage of the Estádio do Dragão.
“This game reflects the last 40 years of Portuguese football and the Pinto da Costa era,” says Varandas.
“I don’t remember seeing our rival FC Porto win a Championship and Sporting and its president being the target of their communication and the center of their attention. Not only is he nothing to worry about, he’s comforting, motivating, and encouraging. It is confirmation that we are on the right track, that Sporting is no longer seen as the ‘big third’. Like the third and big ‘pretty’. And how wonderful it is to hear Mr. Pinto da Costa missing and praising Sporting in the recent past. There are people who, no matter how much they earn, will always be very small and, above all, very poor. There is no greater poverty than the poverty of character, integrity and values. They are and will always be very poor people, unlike the great and honorable institution they represent”, the Leonese leader began by pointing out in a speech delivered to the Verdiblanco members this Sunday at the Carregal do Sal Sports Center.
Balconies in the counterattack against Pinto da Costa: “A bandit will always be a bandit. And in the end he will be remembered as a bandit.”
“This institution will never be convened in Alvalade, due to our speakerwith any name other than FC Porto. His players will never be attacked by elements of the Sporting organization. You will never see its president in Alvalade being cowardly stolen from his cell phone. He will always have his governing bodies and employees received in a safe and institutionally correct and dignified manner. You will never see journalists attacked, threatened or coerced in Alvalade for asking questions in the exercise of their profession. They don’t know and never will know what it really is to be great. And Sporting will never be poor or small, ”he added about the latest episodes of rivalry.
Pinto da Costa talks about Vieira’s “memory lapses” and says that Varandas will do a great service “when he dedicates himself to medicine”
“On Mr. Pinto da Costa, I have to totally disagree with the Secretary of State for Sport, who recently took office. Mr. Pinto da Costa is not and will never be a reference in the national sport. And I will explain why, inviting the Secretary of State to listen to just one listening, among many that are available to anyone in the Internet, from the Golden Whistle process. I highlight this one from January 24, 2004 [horas antes de um FC Porto-Estrela da Amadora] where, in person, the president of FC Porto, Mr. Pinto da Costa, through the players’ coach António Araújo, offers the sexual services of three prostitutes to the referee team headed by Jacinto Paixão, whom Pinto da Costa, in this listening, affectionately calls ‘JP’”, he advocated.
Pinto da Costa’s criminal complaint about Varandas for defamation and honor crimes goes to trial
“It is true that these wiretaps were not authorized by the Portuguese Justice for the use of evidence and Mr. Pinto da Costa was acquitted of the process. But if it is true that these wiretaps cannot be used as evidence, it is also true that they are real and they really happened. Here, Secretary of State, it is not necessary for the Justice to say anything for us to know that Pinto da Costa is an active corrupter and someone who should have been banned from sport driving decades ago. It is difficult to explain to any citizen how a person caught saying this is not convicted, ”he continued.
“Mr. Pinto da Costa, no matter how hard it is and no matter how many attempts he makes to try to erase his actions, he will always be remembered as an active corrupter. And I will be here to remind you until the last day of your presidency that you are an active corrupter and an embarrassment for Portuguese sport, as I look forward to the outcome of the Blue Card process. A country that recognizes Mr. Pinto da Costa as a reference is a country without values. And a country without values is a country without a future. Portugal cannot and will never be that country”, he promised, before also addressing all the comments made last month on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Pinto da Costa’s presidency.
“In recent weeks I had the opportunity to read numerous statements and texts from personalities from our square congratulating the 40 years of the presidency of Mr. Pinto da Costa and listing the qualities, achievements and achievements. I was surprised that in the list of achievements I didn’t see anything about the embarrassing tapping of the golden whistle, about the fact that this having fled to Galicia hours before the Judicial Police came to pick him up at his home, of having paid his relatives his millions of euros from FC Porto SAD and of the many cases of coercion and intimidation against journalists such as the recent attack, seen by the whole world, of a TVI journalist by an element close to the president . If it is to refer to the achievements of the 40 presidencies, do it with rigor and courage”, concluded Varandas in this regard.
“If you want to cry, you have to go to the obituary for a reason.” Pinto da Costa throws himself at Varandas and recalls that at FC Porto “nothing is impossible”
“I still address myself again to the Secretary of State for Sport, but also to the Minister of Internal Administration. On May 8, the country witnessed a barbaric murder, in the middle of a public thoroughfare and before the eyes of all the people who were there. It happened at the gates of the Estádio do Dragão during the title celebrations. Without a doubt, it is one of the most brutal episodes of violence that Portugal remembers. What happened was a lot, but much more serious than the Alcochete attack, despite having only one hundredth of media coverage”, he recalled, before also commenting on the statement made by FC Porto about it almost 24 hours after the fact.
“I am the only one who is confused by this statement. ‘Death’? No. It wasn’t just ‘death’. It was a barbaric murder. ‘I can’t help but cry’? Of course it was, but the term that should have been well defined was condemned. This is poor, cowardly, conditioned communication. I appeal to the Minister of the Interior to be relentless in the fight against this organized crime that goes unpunished by Portuguese justice and law. Many say that this is a problem of society and not football. Not true, gentlemen. Of course it belongs to society, but the origin of this problem is closely linked to football and the clubs that allow its illegal financing, fueling this organized crime. These episodes are as shocking as they are embarrassing for our country”, he underlined, before delving into the main differences he finds four years later at Sporting.
“Nobody who tells the truth offends. If you want, I can change a thief for an active corrupter”, says Varandas
“Sporting’s path to victory is always difficult, but we are not looking for shortcuts based on illicit conduct. And even when in the recent past Sporting threatened to deviate from these values, Sporting itself resolved the situation without the need for anyone or justice. Our values are our engine. More valuable than the 23 titles in football, the 42 European titles, the thousands of titles in our sport are our values, our integrity and our character. How motivating it is today that our members and fans are only really satisfied with the title of champion. No one was 100% fulfilled, but Sporting’s pride in its players, coach and, above all, in the trajectory and growth of the club is also real. If it is true that a year ago we were champions, today we have a better prepared club than a year ago. We broke several revenue records, we have the largest number of partners with up-to-date fees in the history of Sporting”, argued Frederico Varandas.
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“Four years ago, it was unanimous that Sporting were far behind their two rivals and did not even consider themselves a serious candidate. Today, it is equally unanimous that Sporting has become a natural, serious and obvious candidate for any title in Portugal. We made up many years behind our rivals and in the short/medium term we will be here to see which Portuguese clubs are best prepared to remain competitive. All the Sporting fans are in luck and the partners are a fundamental part of this success”, concluded the president of the Verdiblanco team.
Source: Observadora
