Chapter 359: Chapter 358: Next, it’s time to witness the coronation of another European treble winner!
However, the situation quickly took a turn.
Because FIFA announced they would continue to appoint Gandour to officiate the Korea-Japan Confederations Cup.
They showed complete disregard for Gandour’s biased refereeing during the UEFA Cup.
It was as though... they actually appreciated Gandour’s particular talents.
It was a perfect match, like when sleepyheads find a pillow, or when Ximen Qing found Pan Jinlian!
Barcelona fans wept with joy as they spread the news, "See? FIFA knows football! UEFA may not use Gandour, but FIFA will!"
Some Barcelona fans even stated, "A brilliant referee like Gandour should not only officiate the Confederations Cup but even the Korea-Japan World Cup!"
"Sporting Lisbon’s appeal was utterly pointless. Deng Kai, this clown, jumped around so much and still couldn’t prevent Gandour’s rise to greater heights!"
In response, Deng Kai again extended his blessings and tagged the Spain team, "If one day you face a game officiated by Gandour, please remember, this is what Barcelona fans fought for you."
The official account of the Spain team did not react; they posted a question mark, not understanding what Deng Kai meant.
But Guardiola was deeply concerned.
He remembered last summer’s European Championship.
This... surely... the Spain team wouldn’t be so unlucky, right?
Deng Kai did not elaborate on the Spain team’s questions.
Some things, you won’t believe whatever I say until you experience them.
When you experience them, you will understand.
But by the time you understand, it’s usually too late.
...
European football was in turmoil, with the refereeing controversy raging for almost half a month.
By the time the dust had settled on this incident, it was already May 8.
During this period, Sporting Lisbon had played four matches, including the semi-finals of the Portugal Cup.
They won them all, their momentum unstoppable.
Especially in the semi-finals of the Portugal Cup, Sporting Lisbon eliminated their city rivals and one of the ’Big Three’ of Primeira Liga, Benfica.
The latter hadn’t been in good form this season, currently placed sixth in the Primeira Liga with little chance of moving up.
They won’t even qualify for next season’s UEFA Europa League.
But fans widely believed that Benfica’s defeat in the semi-finals of the Portugal Cup was due to the news leak about their intent to buy Simon, which had affected team morale.
As a result, fans boycotted the club’s attempt to purchase Simon.
Barcelona, the only credible buyer, withdrew their offer, forcing them to seriously consider the very low bids from Liverpool and Manchester United.
In the league, Porto also enjoyed a string of victories, leading Sporting Lisbon by one point at the top of the standings.
Porto and Sporting Lisbon are about to face off in the thirty-third round of the league and the final of the Portugal Cup!
These two matches will essentially decide the owners of the Primeira Liga and the Portugal Cup Championship Trophies!
For a moment, the Portuguese media’s attention was focused on Porto and Sporting Lisbon.
On the eve of the thirty-third round of the Primeira Liga, Porto’s star player, Jia De’er, gave an interview.
He was very optimistic about the upcoming two matches.
Because his league goal tally had already broken the forty-mark.
This was also the first time in his career that he scored over forty goals in a single league season!
He set a new record.
Meanwhile, the young star forward Cristiano Ronaldo of Sporting CP, who had been hot on Jia De’er’s heels in the league, currently had "only" twenty-nine goals, sitting in second place on the Portuguese top scorer chart.
With only two games left in the league, it was impossible for Ronaldo to catch up to Jia De’er, unless he averaged five goals per match and Jia De’er didn’t score at all.
Similarly, Ronaldo’s Silver Boot in the Primeira Liga was quite secure, as the third-place scorer had seven fewer goals than Ronaldo, making it almost impossible to catch up.
Jia De’er, "Our form this season has been very good. We have an excellent midfield that can provide continuous support. With that, I can beat any defense, even if the opponent is Inter Milan or Barcelona."
Obviously, Jia De’er’s words were a jab at Sporting CP’s miraculous performances in European competitions this season.
They had lost to the Belgian giants Anderlecht in the Champions League qualifiers this season, tumbling into the Europa League.
Then, in the quarter-finals of the Europa League, they unfortunately encountered the formidable English Premier League side Liverpool and were eliminated.
Sporting CP’s opponent in the final of the Europa League was, in fact, Liverpool.
So, to some extent, beating Sporting CP was for Porto like avenging themselves against a team of Liverpool’s caliber.
If you simplify it, it’s like avenging Liverpool.
"Porto is determined to reclaim the league championship! Sporting CP should focus all their efforts on the Europa League!"
"The opportunity in European competitions is much rarer. Don’t make the mistake, Sporting CP! You should be willing to give up some other things!"
"There is no essential difference between finishing first or second in the league, the Portugal Cup is insignificant, what is Sporting CP still hesitating about?"
"If I were Trigella, I would avoid the two matches against Porto and prepare fully for the Europa League final!"
All the major media outlets were offering advice to Sporting CP.
Of course, there were media outlets with different views.
For instance, Jiang Yunzhu expressed her opinion in the "Record Report": "Porto lost to Liverpool in the Europa League. If Sporting CP can’t get past Porto, then when facing Liverpool, they will start with a three-goal deficit in morale!"
"The league championship is Portugal’s highest honor. Sporting CP hasn’t tasted the Primeira Liga championship in nineteen years. They must not give up this time no matter what!"
"First compete for the league, then decide based on the situation whether to go all out for the Portugal Cup. Go, Sporting CP!"
This interview was wildly shared by Sporting CP fans. Compared to the Europa League, domestic fans were more eager for the league championship.
They were called one of the three great powers of the Primeira Liga, but in the past nineteen years, apart from last year’s Boavista, all the championships went to Porto and Benfica.
The fans of Sporting CP could hardly hold their heads up anymore.
How could they give up this opportunity?
But Jiang Yunzhu’s article was reposted by Deng Kai with a question mark.
Quite a few Portuguese media outlets liked Deng Kai’s post, indicating that finally a reasonable Sporting CP player had stood up.
"Porto Daily" gave Deng Kai a high appraisal: "As one of the outstanding midfielders to emerge in this season of the Primeira Liga, Deng Kai definitely has a very clever mind. His question of Jiang Yunzhu’s article shows that Sporting CP has already made its choices."
"For the league and the final of the Portugal Cup, Sporting CP is very likely to adopt a strategy of half-rotation or even full rotation. We support such adjustments for the sake of the Europa League final and wish Sporting CP the best of luck in playing a spectacular match against Liverpool and bringing the Europa League trophy back to Portugal!"
Clearly, Porto was satisfied with Sporting CP’s concession.
But soon after, Deng Kai explained his question mark, writing on his social media account, "Why should we decide whether to go all out for the Portugal Cup based on the situation? Sporting CP will not give up any championship trophies!"
"Next, it is time to witness another European treble conqueror being crowned!"
