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Craziness at Sporting Lisbon


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Bruno Fernandes, William Carvalho and Gelson Martins bid to terminate Sporting Lisbon contracts and put Premier League clubs on red alert

The trio have followed the lead of keeper Rui Patricio and have all issued their terminations ahead of Thursday's deadline

Premier League clubs are on red alert amid the ongoing crisis at Sporting Lisbon, after three more Portuguese stars bid to terminate their contracts.

Midfield anchorman William Carvalho, talented schemer Bruno Fernandes and winger Gelson Martins have all followed the lead of goalkeeper Rui Patricio.

Patricio, contacted the club 10 days ago to declare he wants out of his contract, after a £15.8million switch to Wolves was halted by Sporting president Bruno de Carvalho.

Patricio, contacted the club 10 days ago to declare he wants out of his contract, after a £15.8million switch to Wolves was halted by Sporting president Bruno de Carvalho.

That has sparked a war of words between the outspoken president and agency Gestifute, headed up by Jorge Mendes.

A number of Sporting players were attacked by around 50 masked thugs at Sporting’s training ground last month after missing out on a place in next season’s Champions League. De Carvalho also threatened to suspend a number of stars after their Europa League loss to Atletico Madrid.

Patricio recently stated: "I was the victim of physical and psychological violence, so in order to preserve my personal and professional dignity, I wish to end the contract that ties me to Sporting.”

He is expected to join Wolves on a free transfer, but had offered to take back his resignation if the under-pressure De Carvalho stepped down, something he has thus far refused despite mounting pressure.

Now Martins, Fernandes and Carvalho, all club and international teammates of Patricio, have followed in the footsteps of both the keeper and Daniel Podence, by sending letters to their club and the Portuguese Federation.

Bas Dost, the Dutch striker, has become the first foreign player to do likewise.

All have submitted their termination requests within 30 days of the attack - within 24 hours of de Carvalho threatening legal action against anyone that attempts to do so - putting Sporting at risk of losing more than £100million worth of talent for nothing.

One-time Liverpool target Martins has been keenly linked with a big-money move away from the club this summer with reports Arsenal are keen, while Carvalho, a Euro 2016 winner, has been linked previously with both West Ham and Everton.

Fernandes, the playmaker who scored for Portugal in their 3-0 win over Algeria last week, has been watched by Liverpool during the last 12 months, during which he scored 16 times and registered 20 assists for Sporting in 56 games.

"This is a nightmare. Sporting can not continue to be managed by Bruno de Carvalho," Frederico Varandas told OJogo.

Varandas is a former club medic being linked with the presidency if de Carvalho steps away.

Former president Jose Dias Ferreira told Record: "The president was not satisfied with the terminations that have already occurred and still challenged people to new ones.

"The only good news I can receive is the president's departure, the other ones are just disasters."

"He [de Carvalho] is taking Sporting to the abyss," said Jaime Marta Soares, chairman of the General Assembly Board of Sporting.

 

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So the basis is because of being attacked at the training ground? But they don't cancel their contract straight after the incident, instead when there is interest in them.... can see this one getting dragged out in court. 

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Complicated this as Sporting basically lost the runners up spot to Benfica when all they had to do was match their result and it cost them £30m. Mate is a huge fan and reckons président ordered attack at training ground and then they lost the Portuguese cup final.

Ive worked with this Sporting fan for two years and amazed at the hatred they have got Benfica but Im sure @Olé can add to this from a Benfica perspective.

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17 minutes ago, Shuffle said:

Complicated this as Sporting basically lost the runners up spot to Benfica when all they had to do was match their result and it cost them £30m. Mate is a huge fan and reckons président ordered attack at training ground and then they lost the Portuguese cup final.

Ive worked with this Sporting fan for two years and amazed at the hatred they have got Benfica but Im sure @Olé can add to this from a Benfica perspective.

There isn't any love lost between any of the Portuguese big three. 

Benfica were the team that was backed by the dictator, Salazar way back (#) . So that's only one good reason for Sporting to dislike Benfica. There are plenty of others. 

And both dislike Porto because it's the major club of Northern Portugal.  

(#) I believe that Franco did the same with Real which is a major factor with Atletico fans. 

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1 hour ago, hodge said:

So the basis is because of being attacked at the training ground? But they don't cancel their contract straight after the incident, instead when there is interest in them.... can see this one getting dragged out in court. 

But if you're employer cannot offer you safety at work?...

It takes some time to seek legal counsel to see what options are available to you if such an incident occurs and some time for lawyers to review, research and conclude. I wouldn't read anything in to the delay. And where is the rush when you don't need to report for training too? The pinchpoint is when they're due back arguably.

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1 hour ago, 29AR said:

But if you're employer cannot offer you safety at work?...

And this is part of the problem. Sporting has been chaos this season and the President, who effectively runs the business, has been anything but an ally to the players, in fact his relationship with and support for the players - several of them full Portugal internationals - has been toxic.

Even prior to the training ground incident, there was an utterly bizarre incident after Sporting's 2-0 first leg Europa League quarter final defeat at Atletico Madrid (by no means a poor performance and better than many who visit Atletico). The President ripped into his players on Twitter.

Not one comment, but a series of emotional rants about individual players. The whole first team responded with a collective co-signed posting on social media saying it was sad they had no support from someone who should be their leader. He suspended them all and the manager too.

He then relented a few days later when the implication was Sporting would go into a key league game (they were still in the title hunt) with just 6 eligible players. But none of this was a new pattern. The Sporting President has a long history of lashing out at everyone and every thing.

Sporting actually recovered and put in some decent performances in league and cup, but then another interview with the President came out that tore into players and coach, the day before a crucial league game for Champions League qualification at a tough away venue in Madeira,  

They lost, blew their best chance in recent years to leapfrog Benfica and get into the Champions League, and at Madeira airport afterwards, some ultras got into a slanging match with several players. You could certainly say the President had created the incendiary atmosphere for it all.

Two days later 50 masked ultras from one one of Sporting's ultra groups ("Juventude Leonina" or Young Lions), went to the training ground with sticks and belts and beat up the players (top scorer needed stitches). Even after that the President came out with decidedly mixed message.

It was largely expected that the players would eventually rescind their contracts, given the issues with the President and then a lack of protection in the training ground issue (although the majority of right minded Sporting fans have gone out of their way to apologise to and support the players).

The reason for the delay is they wanted to honour their commitments - including the equivalent of the FA Cup final, which they lost to a much smaller team (Aves), although that came as no surprise, since they were only able to resume normal training a day or two before the match.

Taking a step back: all Portuguese clubs are surrounded by and/or run by egotistical nutters and never far away from controversy and aggravation - I posted about this on here after Nuno's performance in our directors box. I still watch the Portuguese league but despise the sideshow.

But the Sporting President takes things to another level. As a Benfica fan I am biased, but he is cringeworthy to watch, always bristling and arrogant, always on the offensive. He was once an ultra himself. He is chaotic and emotional, and it is reflected in the way his club is organised.

Regarding the overall history, I was brought up to understand Benfica as the people's team, and Sporting as the elite's team. The town I grew up in was popular with minorities from Portugal's empire colonies (including my dad) and Benfica was the team that everyone would unite around.

Though before my time, it was clear that people like Eusebio & Mario Coluna made Benfica a team for all classes and all races, and as @cidered abroad points out, it was indeed the club of the Salazar dictatorship, who built that empire that brought Benfica players from it's many colonies.

The demographics of the fanbases have changed now and become more homogenised drawn simply on Lisbon neighbourhood and family lines (while Porto, in the North, is far less multi-racial), but for me Sporting are still the opportunist, arrogant, self-righteous, blow-hard eccentrics.

Our nickname for them in Portugal is lizards, but I think on recent form in England you might call them gammon... :whistle:

p.s. thanks @Shuffle for alerting me to this thread! :)

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