Domingos Paciência came out in defense of Sérgio Conceição this Tuesday, who was the target of harsh criticism due to his behavior on the FC Porto substitutes’ bench, particularly in the victories over Famalicão and Casa Pia.
The former Portuguese international recalled that he too has experienced “heated and high-pressure” moments throughout his career, both as a player and as a coach, and therefore stressed: “We cannot condemn.”
“I’ve also been on those benches, I know what it’s like and the urge I sometimes had to have certain attitudes and make certain gestures. Sometimes, nobody really realizes the dialogue that is taking place and that leads coaches to do this,” he stated.
The former Porto striker also refused to take the team out of the title race, despite them being in second place, four points behind leaders Benfica, with only two games left in the season.
“As long as it’s mathematically possible, FC Porto will continue to believe. Knowing that the game in Famalicão will be difficult and that the last image of these two teams was of a very difficult match, Famalicão will create great difficulties,” he said.
“The positive scenario would be Benfica losing at Alvalade and then Santa Clara pulling off the surprise of the championship, the bottom-placed team winning at Luz. Is that impossible? No, it’s not,” he concluded.
