António Pedro Santos/Lusa
The president of the Football League, Pedro Proença, in the presentation of his candidacy for the elections of the Portuguese Federation of Football (FPF)
The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) has announced that it will ask a hearing from the government, after the statements of the former president of the body and current leader of the Portugal Olympic Committee (COP), Fernando Gomes.
This Saturday, the president of the FPF, Pedro Proença assured having the support of Fernando Gomes to a place in the executive committee of the European organism.
However, in a letter sent to the 55 Federations Member of UEFA, the newly elected president of COP denied this support And unexpectedly, he accused Proença of following “the path of the destruction of the legacy” he had left in the FPF.
“It was the biggest of surprises to learn about a letter sent by Pedro Proença, in which my name is mentioned without prior consent or even information”, can be read in the missive of Fernando Gomes.
“Pedro Proença chose the path from the destruction of the legacy That my team and I have built over 13 years, ”says the document.
Incrased by these statements, the FPF management set an emergency meeting for the morning of Monday, to analyze and evaluate the “consequences of.
Of this meeting resulted in a request for emergency meeting with the government.
In a statement, the FPF management states that it will “ask for an urgent audience from the government to evaluate the impacts in the face of commitments Namely assumed the candidacy for the organization of the 2029 Women’s European and the 2030 World Championship organization. ”
In addition, the body that protects Portuguese football also assured that it will “Send an exhibition to the COP Ethics Council to evaluate the performance of the President of the Portugal Olympic Committee ”.
“Fernando Gomes is the Harm Portuguese football“
Thanking the support of several Portuguese football agents, the FPF management considers that “The national interest and the very election of the national candidate in this electoral process is seriously compromised” by the impact that the position assumed by Fernando Gomes.
FPF accuses Fernando Gomes of having attacked credibility of national sports institutions – in a scenario that, taking into account the elections and events to which Portugal proposes to organize, “It will hardly be reversible in useful time”.
“Notwithstanding to be clear to the sports country that national representation in the UEFA Executive Committee may be clearly concerned, the FPF keeps active efforts to achieve the initial goal,” the body assumes.
Nonetheless, Sporting and FC Porto publicly came to reveal their concernfor this scenario that nothing good brings to Portuguese football and the country.
“In an important moment for the future of national football, in which structuring projects such as the organization of the 2030 World Championship and the candidacy for the 2029 Women’s Football Championship, Sporting CP, considers Portugal to maintain an active and influential voice in the European Football Decision Bodies,” wrote Sporting, in.
“An eventual loss of Portuguese representation in the UEFA Executive Committee may compromise the defense of the interests of football, Weakening the position of Portugal In the great strategic decisions of European and world football, ”he adds.
FC Porto, also in, expressed its “serious concern”.
“It is absolutely fundamental that Portugal remains represented in the highest regulatory instances of international football (including in UEFA), in order to ensure the protection of the interests of Portuguese football at European and world level. It is therefore imperative to clarify the facts related to it serious accident So that similar episodes do not repeat themselves in the future and to re-establish, priority, cordiality and normality in the institutional relationship between entities governing sport in Portugal ”, can be read.
Na, the commentator Pedro do it He warned that it is necessary to be calm and prudence, “because Pedro Proença will not erase Fernando Gomes’s great legacy.”
On the other hand “Fernando Gomes You have to understand that with these actions is Harm Portuguese football“He said.
