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José Fernando Rio argues that the rules must « be complied with » and that the VAR « has lost credibility » since the error at Casa Pia-Sporting.
José Fernando Rio, who was a candidate for the presidency of FC Porto in the last elections, and who has already admitted that he may run again in 2024, agrees with the position of the dragons in asking for the annulment of the game with Arouca, for “misconduct of the referee « , explaining that « public opinion is being manipulated » and that the rules are to be followed.
« Public opinion has been manipulated since the game ended. That’s why FC Porto can’t and doesn’t want to allow it, that’s why it protests the decision and will fight for a repeat of the game. that it’s better for a decision to be taken in an unorthodox way, because what matters is the final truth, it’s not like that. There are rules to comply with, otherwise we enter the realm of subjectivity and each one decides in their own way », he pointed out, referring to referee Miguel Nogueira’s decision to annul a penalty awarded in favor of the blue and whites after contacting the video refereeing team in Cidade do Futebol by telephone.
In the opinion of José Fernando Rio, VAR has been discredited since the goal validated by Paulinho at Casa Pia-Sporting, in the second round of the I Liga, in which Hugo Miguel made a mistake in placing the offside lines.
« The image is always bad for Portuguese football. Ever since we saw a badly marked offside, with poorly placed lines in Sporting’s game, VAR has lost all credibility », he stressed.