The man in the mask returns to Alvalade tonight and has a reception planned.
There is no way to mask reality. Viktor Gyökeres’ return to Alvalade tonight is the news of the day, it has been the news of the days since Bodo Glimt made a fool of himself in Lisbon and gave Sporting a richer and perhaps sweeter Easter.
The availability of Morten Hjulmand would help a lot but, faced with the obligation to find a replacement for the captain (he will serve a one-game suspension), the idea of making Zeno Debast move into midfield could even be revived, thus offering a trio of powerful opponents to the fearsome gallops of the striker transferred to Arsenal.
At the pre-game press conference, Rui Borges refused to reveal the name of the player who will replace Hjulmand and limited himself to admitting that a more private duel between Diomande and Gyökeres could create a “spark”, something “normal” between two “super-competitive” athletes and nothing worrying for the lions considering the predictable help from left-hander Gonçalo Inácio.
As a member of the famous club of incorrigible optimists, the coach from Trás-os-Montes also guaranteed that the Swede who made history with his goals and celebrations in green and white will be “well received” and “deserves this recognition”, showing himself oblivious to the fact that Portuguese football is once again on the lips of the world for having lost track of good manners.
At the press conference table, at the negotiation table or simply at the sabotage tables where the “posts” and communications from the war departments are written, anything goes except respecting everyone’s interests and ensuring the integrity and transparency of the industry.
The re-elections of Rui Costa and Frederico Varandas, after André Villas-Boas interrupted Pinto da Costa’s long reign, ended up ridiculing the expectations of those who thought that a new era had dawned and could be more remarkable than flying over the hidden side of the Moon.
The three supposed musketeers of Portuguese football, faced with the surprising passivity of those who lead the national teams and the League, have only contributed to accentuating the vulgarity of a speech and a strategy that turns its back on credibility. In parallel, in Porto and Lisbon, responsibility is avoided and no one tires of attacking the only class that does not have a praetorian guard or radical fans who hide their faces on social media.
Arbitration, in Portugal, continues to be the scapegoat for those who, after all, do not have the capacity to accept mistakes made at home and prefer to talk about “green” or “blue zones” and are quick to respond with complaints to complaints already presented by the competition.
With two years to make the transition to the centralized sale of television rights, it is absolutely foolish to think that there are investors on this planet willing to spend millions to convince viewers of other generations and nationalities to join a championship that those responsible themselves denounce as a toxic and subverted product.
The presidents of the biggest sports institutions continue to spit on the plate where they eat and offer a sad example that goes far beyond the case(s) Alberto Costa vs. Smile. Viktor Gyökeres that you mask up better than ever because soon you have to be prepared for anything. You cannot say that you are unaware of a broader reality staged at the top of the pyramid. That would be like Bodo.
