According to Portuguese outlet A Bola, Porto have viciously blasted Manchester City after last night’s 0-0 draw in the Champions League through their official ‘Dragoes Diario’ (Dragons diary) newsletter.
In a shocking turn of events, boss Sergio Conceicao’s press conference comments which mentioned Pep Guardiola’s ‘bad mood’ after the tie were raised.
Long-serving City star Fernandinho was massively criticised, after the defensive-minded ace avoided any punishment at all after elbowing Jesus Corona moments before halftime.
The Brazilian was branded a ‘clear example’ of the fact that football’s monetary riches count a lot, ‘but it doesn’t buy class or notion’.
Porto added that City should be ‘grateful’ for the ‘luck’ they had in terms of ‘refereeing again’, with the club’s insistence that Otavio deserved a penalty after being brought down by Ederson – this was all part of a bit where they also cited the ‘scandals of the England game’.
The most devastating criticism was reserved for former Benfica ace Bernardo Silva, who was found guilty of a racism-related charge after a tweet about Benjamin Mendy.
Porto’s Dragoes Diario noted that Silva is ‘known internationally for having been convicted of racism’.
This is the club’s official daily newsletter which can be subscribed to here, it’s sent out via email.
Here’s the damning newsletter in full:
“This is usual news at this time of year, but it still deserves all the prominence: FC Porto qualified for the round of 16 of the Champions League and is officially one of the 16 best teams in Europe. He did it when he still has to play a group stage game, thanks to a 0-0 draw against Manchester City at Estadio do Dragao.”
“In the end, Sergio Conceicao assumed that he “wanted the victory”, but acknowledged that he was also “satisfied with the draw” – in the end, a point against the most expensive squad in the world was all that FC Porto needed to achieve one of the goals of the time. The coach praised the “organisation” and “merit” of the team and also commented on Pep Guardiola’s bad disposition (mood) after the meeting: “I would also be upset if I couldn’t win with the team he has and the budget he has.”
“In fact, the Manchester City coach and players – who also struggled to cope with the result – should even be grateful for the luck they had with refereeing again. After the scandals of the England game, this time a penalty was missed for Ederson’s more than evident lack over Otavio, in addition to the expulsion of Fernandinho, who from the age of 35 is a clear example that football money counts a lot, but it doesn’t buy class or notion.”
“One of the figures highlighted by the positive was Marchesin, who played a set of good defences and nevertheless stressed that he was “happy for the team”, having been achieved “the most important” before “a football power”. Diogo Leite, Uribe and Evanilson also underlined the success of qualifying for the eighth round and guaranteed that the group does not want to stop here. Now they will “work towards more goals in the Champions League”, said the Brazilian striker.”
“FC Porto’s success in the most difficult football competition in the world is far from new, but it cannot be diminished or trivialised. There is a data that is like cotton and that was even highlighted by Sergio Conceicao, normally averse to statistics. Yesterday the 16th blue and white qualification was guaranteed in 24 participations in the group stage, a record that surpasses double the set of qualifications of other Portuguese teams: Benfica reached him five times, Boavista once, Sporting another.”
“If we look only at the most recent past, this is FC Porto’s third qualification in three appearances with Sergio Conceicao as coach. It is fourth in the last four Champions League appearances, fifth in the last six. These numbers are unparalleled in Portuguese football and place FC Porto at a level far above the others. It is one thing to participate in European competitions, another thing to be a European club. In Portugal there is only one.”
“If there were any doubts, the disdain with which an important part of the Lisbon press treats FC Porto is in itself a testament to our success, which is always so uncomfortable.”
“Although yesterday’s game was tied, a television channel managed to find a way to say that the national champions were “beaten”. And hours before the meeting, another station decided to launch a hobby (or a provocation?) To offer a shirt to an opponent of ours who is known internationally for having been convicted of racism.”
“At night, there they had to be confronted with the reality that they do not like. It wasn’t just Pep Guardiola and Fernandinho who were unwell…”
Both sides secured their qualification for the knockout stages of the Champions League with a share of the spoils, with the Portuguese side noting City are the ‘most expensive squad in the world’.
It will be interesting to see if City issue a response to this or if Porto withdraw their comments should they face pressure and controversy from them.
I hope we get Porto in where possible again in this seasons CL. De Bruyne and Aguero back to shove it back down their throats.
Porto are managed by a very negative manager