Miguel Braga, director of public relations at Sporting, sharply criticized the work of the refereeing team in the Super Cup handball match with Benfica, also condemning that Martim Costa and Kiko Costa were victims of bullying.
“I think it was a great handball match, a hymn to the sport. It is a pity that the victory went to the opponent. It was emotional, it was close to the end. We didn’t win, sport won. But taking advantage of the start of the season, I would like to leave an appeal to the federation. There is one of the cases, which, despite giving a lot of ink, under the new and current rules, is very subjective, since no one noticed whether the referee whistled or not, which allows or not that the player is ahead on the playing field. With the noise that was in the pavilion, that whistle is not noticeable. But one thing that was very noticeable and deserves a direct appeal to the federation is that both Martim and Kiko Costa, especially Kiko, were really killed by the opposing defense, and often this is not done according to the laws of the game, ”he said in the program Raio X Sporting, continuing:
“We are here to see some of the footage of the aggression that took place without proper permission, and these sanctions should have the punishment that exists in the laws to protect the talent. They are the future of our selection and that is intimidation a constant for our players should not be allowed, especially if it is done repeatedly by the same player. The images speak for themselves, unfortunately, they did not have the appropriate authorization.
The official also asked the question: “There is another case that deserves some thought from federal officials. I was somewhat surprised that a person who is not on the game sheet is on the field and makes refereeing decisions, especially at the decisive moments of the game. It’s not very normal to see the president of the Arbitration Board on the field, I don’t think it’s handball in Portugal. I think the Federation should explain to the clubs what this gentleman was doing on the field and not in his place.
