The day after the 30th title in club history, Pinto da Costa gave an interview to Porto Canal and did not fail to criticize the way in which the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister congratulated the dragons. “It’s perfectly normal in a ridiculously centralizing country,” he joked.
When asked if he had received congratulations from his Sporting and Benfica counterparts, the Porto boss dropped a hint at the most responsible lions: “No, I haven’t. Varandas still have to think he will be champion, he must I have this hope, I did not receive it, I did not miss it either, but I received congratulations from former coaches and players, from ours and other clubs, Rebelo de Sousa and António Costa.
“I got nothing from the President, from the government that I got from the Secretary of State for Sport. But the Prime Minister congratulated the coaches, the players and the supporters and was careful to leave out the leaders. Therefore, I only consider myself a small part of the congratulations, because I’m a fan. As president, I consider that I was deliberately excluded, which does not matter to me,” he said. revealed, before the conclusion.
“Political power has the mentality that Portugal is just Lisbon. When Sporting or Benfica win, they welcome us and make speeches. When it’s FC Porto, the President of the Republic says to celebrate and congratulates Sporting, Benfica and Braga, because he was fourth. This is completely normal in a ridiculously centralizing country. It is obvious that one cannot expect more from the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister “, he guaranteed.
Returning to the question of the national title, Pinto da Costa was particularly delighted with the joy he brought to the world of Porto. “It was very good, it was very fair and even the most bitter had to recognize that our victory was fair. It was beautiful and, above all, I love to see the manifestation of joy of the approximately 50,000 people who were at the gate of the stadium, because many of these people have a difficult life and they find moments of great happiness in the victories of FC Porto, as if they lacked nothing. It fills my soul and gives me enormous pleasure”, he revealed.
Admitting that the next season is “already being prepared” and acknowledging that Sérgio Conceição is doing very well to already think about the Portuguese Cup final, Pinto da Costa once again assured that the continuity of the coach is assured .
“The gentleman’s continuity is not a problem because he has a two-year contract and he said he wants to stay and fulfill the contract. It’s a matter only for those who want to confuse. The season will be prepared , not through the newspapers as others do, but in our offices with the greatest possible discretion. We all have to stick together. The supporters have been fantastic and I believe that next Saturday we will come back to this demonstration. Cup, a club from the North and another from the Center will have to play in Lisbon, but at least we fill the Estádio do Jamor, which is usually full of flies, I hope there will be no flies or mosquitoes this day, because there will be no place for them,” concluded the Porto president.