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Porto have released a statement in their regular newsletter criticising the referees in their draw against Casa Pia and Benfica's win against Varzim.
Porto took to their newsletter to criticise the referees in their 0-0 draw with Casa Pia and Benfica's cup triumph against Varzim, implying a bias in favour of the Eagles.
Porto are currently third in the Premier League, seven points behind league leaders Benfica.
Porto criticise referees
In their regular Dragoes Diario newsletter released this Thursday, the club criticised the referees in their 0-0 draw against Casa Pia on Saturday and Benfica's 2-0 cup win against Varzim on Tuesday.
Porto believe VAR Bruno Esteves should have awarded two penalties to Varzim, non of which were given.
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"So that sporting truth prevails in the dispute for these trophies, it is essential that all the teams that enter each of the fields act accordingly,” Porto said in the newsletter.
“Unfortunately, that has not happened. On Tuesday, in Povoa de Varzim, Benfica qualified - went to the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup after winning 2-0.
“In a game in which, according to experts, two penalties were [not] awarded in favour of Varzim.
“Bearing in mind that the video referee was Bruno Esteves, it was not surprising."
Porto continued by pointing out an error in their own draw against Casa Pia over the weekend, and how it affects their position on the log, accusing referee Nuno Almeida and VAR Hugo Miguel:
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"And what happened in this round of the Cup is even more relevant if we take into account that it comes after a championship game marked by a serious error.
“The penalty that was not awarded to Galeno in the duel with Casa Pia – recognized, even, by a CMTV panel made up of former players who are fans of other clubs and by representatives of the Lisbon press.
“It will go down in history as yet another error with an impact on a championship result, on the distribution of points and on the league ranking."
"And it was also not surprising, actually, taking into account that the video referee was Hugo Miguel.
“Just remember data provided by the press at the end of 2020/21 and based on the analyzes of specialists in arbitration.
“At the time, Hugo Miguel had a history of eight errors to the detriment of FC Porto and one in favour; 19 errors in favour of Benfica and only four against; and eight in favour of Sporting and 12 against.
“Since then, he has carried out the feat of causing, in Braga, the first defeat of FC Porto in the championship in 58 games.
“As is evident, it can be a huge coincidence that, according to the experts' opinions, certain referees commit serious errors almost always in favour of themselves and almost always against FC Porto.
“But this succession of errors is, at the very least, a symptom of incompetence that cannot be tolerated. The supporters deserve respect and demand that sporting merit be the deciding factor for the winner of each event," they concluded.
Porto falling behind
Porto's draw against Casa Pia dropped them to third place in the Primeira Liga, allowing Braga to take over second place and leaving Sporting only five points behind.
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The defending champions are finding it increasingly difficult to reclaim their title, as Benfica continue to pull further away.
They still have a chance to defend their Portuguese Cup title, as they advanced to the quarter-finals with a win over Arouca.
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