Jaime Marta Soares, former president of the Board of the General Assembly of Sporting, gave, this Monday, an interview with Antena 1’s ‘Jornal de Desporto’, in which she did not hold back on criticizing Frederico Varandas, due to the way he managed the dossier that culminated in the dismissal of Rui Borges from the technical command of the main football team.
“The opportunity is also not the best to change coach, which should happen, but it shouldn’t have been the way it was, that’s why I say that not only is the coach to blame, but also whoever has been nurturing him for so long, who is the one who, effectively, renewed at a completely absurd time, to continue coaching Sporting, and gave this result”, he began by stating.
“It should be the package. When one leaves, both should leave, the coach and the president, but, since that is not the case, the president will still have a period of learning, to see if he improves and if, effectively, the coach can work at will and bring out his competence, his knowledge and his abilities. Both internally and externally, Paulo Fonseca is, effectively, an already established coach with status”, he continued.
“Paulo Fonseca is a coach with absolutely well-known and proven credentials. I am extremely convinced that, if there is no one who wants to do everything, who wants to be president, coach and everything… I am convinced that Paulo Fonseca will not allow, under any circumstances, what coach Rui Borges has been consenting to and the complicities he has been having with the president”, he added.
“Congratulations to Frederico Varandas for choosing Paulo Fonseca”
On the other hand, Sousa Cintra, former top leader of the club, bet on a message of unity, and applauded the decision to move towards hiring Paulo Fonseca, who, as reported by the Sport at the Minutehas already said goodbye to Olympique Lyon’s main squad, and should be officially announced as the new Leonine coach in the coming days.
“I congratulate Varandas, the president, and I tell him that, for my part, I am satisfied with the decision he took, because, really, the Sporting fans were not at all, not at all satisfied with what was happening in Sporting’s football, therefore, it was a right decision, in my opinion”, he defended.
“Unity is strength, we have to be united now, because there is still a long way to go in the championship, a lot is missing. If Sporting is really lucky… The players are good, it’s a fantastic team, with values, and anything can happen. I’m hopeful that this turnaround that all Sporting fans are waiting for will be given now. It was nothing that Sporting fans didn’t expect a few days ago”, he added.
Paulo Fonseca’s debut as Sporting’s coach will, apparently, take place next Saturday, at 8 pm (Mainland Portugal time), in the match of the 11th round of the I League, against Moreirense. Before that, on Tuesday, at 5:45 pm, interim Tiago Fernandes will guide the team in the duel in the fourth round of the Champions League league phase, against Shakhtar Donetsk.
