The President of the Republic warns of the external impact of the controversy between Pedro Proença and Fernando Gomes and appeals to common sense. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa says he hopes that the difference will be resolved internally so that institutions, athletes and even the organization of competitions are not harmed.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa stated, on Tuesday, expect that the difference between the new presidents of the Portuguese Football Federation, Pedro Proença, and the Portuguese Olympic Committee, Fernando Gomes, is resolved internally, without external repercussion.
“What is expected is that if there are some internal questions here in relation to institutions that are important – It is important out there, the Portugal Olympic Committee is important out there -that they are resolved inside, without repercussion outside, “said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa to journalists at Belém Palace.
The head of state argued that, ” [o atual diferendo] It has repercussions out there that is not positive, lose the Olympic athletes, lose the athletes who serve our football teams, loses the organization of championships in which Portugal is also involved. ”
“They lose these institutions, in terms of prestige, and lose their presidents. Therefore, as they all lose, common sense forces that everyone avoids losing, and above all that Portugal is unnecessarily affected, when it can simply solve inside,” he added.
“Portuguese sport has a lot of prestige out there”
Questioned if there was any initiative on his part on this matter, the President of the Republic answered:
“There was no. But I can say what I think about the matter, and what I think about the story is very simple. Everyone knows that sport, Portuguese sport has a lot of prestige out there.”
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa considered that “football, in particular, has a lot of importance out there” and that the external impact of Portuguese football, “fortunately, has been very good for Portugal over the last few years” and so “should continue”.
The board of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) chaired by Pedro Proença announced on Sunday that he would ask an urgent hearing to the government and send an exhibition to the Ethics Council of the Portugal Olympic Committee (COP) because of the performance of Fernando Gomes, current president of COP and previous president of the FPF.
After the current president of the FPF sent a letter to the 55 federations member of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) in which he claimed to have the support of Fernando Gomes to a place in the executive committee of this European organism, the president of COP denied this support and considered that Pedro Proença was following “the path of the destruction of the legacy” he left in the FPF.
On the day Fernando Gomes took office as president of COP, the Judiciary Police (PJ) searched the city of Football, in Oeiras, as part of Operation More Valia, as part of an investigation into the sale of the former FPF headquarters in 2018, and constituted as defendants the former PS deputy António Gameiro and the former FPF Secretary Paulo Lourenço.
Faced with this investigation, the current FPF management reported that it would intensify the audit measures that began and constitute an assistant in any judicial proceedings triggered by the most valued operation.
– With Lusa
