Porto issued on Sunday a long statement affirming categorically that it does not interfere in the refereeing sector, namely in nominations or in decisions made by the Arbitration Council. The northern club reiterated that it does not nominate referees, does not participate in the nomination process, and does not interfere in refereeing decisions.
The official note comes following information revealed by journalist Tânia Laranjo, according to which the club led by André Villas-Boas allegedly pressured the Portuguese Football Federation to remove Fábio Veríssimo from the Portuguese Cup classic against Benfica, held in January.
The statement explains that, given the nomination of Fábio Veríssimo for the Portuguese Cup match played at the Estádio do Dragão, Porto did what any responsible institution would do: publicly and institutionally expressed its surprise and indignation.
The club thus justified its public stance, stating that the reaction to the referee's nomination was a legitimate and proportional attitude to what it considered to be an incomprehensible nomination.
