Arbitrators with limited statements at a gala event celebrating the decision of the Portuguese arbitration

The Portuguese referees participating in the 1st Portuguese Association of Football Referees (APAF) Gala this Saturday were not allowed to speak to reporters at the entrance, except for two previously indicated by the organization of the event.

Speaking to reporters, José Fontelas Gomes, president of the Portuguese Football Federation’s Arbitration Board, suggested that referees speak when the organization understands what they should be saying, and that this decision includes the party that made the decision of the national arbitration held this Saturday in Casino from Figueira da Foz.

“Judges speak when we understand what they should speak. And when there is this kind of management and leadership, it is we who determine the “timings” of the performance of each of them, and this is only for this, ”said the head of the Arbitration Board.

Asked by Lusa if this decision makes sense at an event such as a gala where arbitration is rewarded and where there are several dozen judges, men and women, from all categories of national football, Fontela Gomes replied: “It also makes sense in all that at the moments when the judges appear in public, the decision is made by us.”

Upon entering the Casino Figueira hall, Artur Soares Dias, the best referee of the 2022/23 season, immediately made it clear that he could not speak.

Manuel Oliveira, one of two referees appointed by the APAF gala organization to speak to reporters, however, refused to talk about topics other than those related to the event, such as the possible public disclosure of messages between the referee and his assistants during a football match.

“I would be happy to answer, but I am only authorized to speak about the gala,” said Manuel Oliveira.

This “scenario” does not appear to have involved Nuno Almeida, the other first category referee chosen to speak to reporters who agreed to answer questions directly related to post-game statements or disclosure of links between elements of the officiating team.

When asked if judges should be able to demonstrate their “point of view” at certain times, Nuno Almeida considered the topic “relevant” and a question “that cannot be answered with yes or no”.

“I don’t think the ‘trembling’ you mentioned will go away. And, as I usually say, it’s not the fact that we speak or make excuses that will make the penalty more or less. , I have some doubts that this is a positive factor, in any case, I think that the Arbitration Board will be open to everything that benefits the arbitration,” said Nuno Almeida.

Regarding the public disclosure of communication between referees, the Algarve Association judge felt that “if this public communication is for the benefit of football, so that the truth is more transparent to the public, this is very welcome.”

On the same issues, APAF president Luciano Gonçalves said the arbitration was thinking about “assertive communication” with “head, torso and limbs” and not just to justify what happened in a certain football match.

“We need to improve our communication, but it can’t just be. We cannot communicate just to justify what is. […] Talking after the game just because there was supposedly a mistake in a game involving the Big Three doesn’t make sense. We do not contribute anything to the positive that we need in football, we only create more noise, ”justifies Luciano Goncalves.

Regarding the first gala evening of the association, which he chairs and which has awarded more than a hundred referees and assistant referees in football, futsal and beach soccer, as well as arbitration observers, Luciano Gonçalves said that moments like today are “necessary to to appreciate what is being done. in arbitration.”