Rui Borges controversy "fuels" Sporting-Vitória: "It will be more emotional"

Sporting -Vitória SC promises to 'heat up' the last round of the I Liga, this Saturday, not only for the possible celebration of the second championship for the lions, but also for the most recent controversy surrounding Rui Borges , who will meet his former team again.

Jorge Fernandes was at the Guimarães club in the first half of this season and, in conversation with Desporto ao Minuto , he praised the squad's ability to "win in any stadium", at a time when European qualification is yet to be guaranteed, and was also challenged to remember the former team's "ability to overcome" in the frenetic first-round game (4-4).

"There's a lot going on, both for one [club] and the other. It's always possible for a team like Vitória, with the players they have, to win in any stadium in our league, regardless of the context . They have that capacity. Given the years I've been there, I'm one of those who believes it's possible [to win]," began the central defender, who is currently at Al-Fateh, led by José Gomes.

"A draw in Guimarães? It was a very emotional game for us, without a doubt, given all the circumstances , just as this one [in Alvalade] will be. Sporting are fighting to be champions and Vitória are fighting for Europe. There will be a lot of emotion, with a former coach [Rui Borges] on the other side", recalled Jorge Fernandes.

On January 3, the two clubs played one of the most heated games in the I Liga, with Guimarães coming back from 1-3 to 4-3, only to be cancelled out by Francisco Trincão's late goal. © Getty Images

"In that first leg game we felt more than capable of scoring against Sporting. We recovered from a [two-goal] disadvantage, which shows the ability of the Vitória team to overcome . I believe that, regardless of what happens, Vitória will always be prepared to respond, with the aim of winning. It is up to them to reach Europe and I am sure that they will go [to Alvalade] with that objective", he added on the subject.

The statements that "feed the spectacle"...

One of the topics that is generating the most talk, as the championship draws to a close, is related to Rui Borges' most recent statements, when he said that he "saw Vitória players being shown yellow cards to play in Alvalade" , which even prompted a harsh reaction from the Guimarães management , although he believes he was misinterpreted, as Desporto ao Minuto found out . Jorge Fernandes was also challenged to talk about it.

"It ends up being strange for me to make any comment... Everyone knows what they are doing, whether it is the coach [Rui Borges] or Vitória, who have already made a statement. There are two sides to the coin. On the one hand, the show will be more emotional. It will bring out more of the players and the fans . It feeds the show, in a way, although not in the best way, because it creates a disagreement between the two parties", he began by saying about the subject.

The Lions' coach believes that the most recent words about the former team were not well interpreted.

Rodrigo Querido and Miguel Simões | 15:58 - 13/05/2025

"It's part of football, we've seen this happen many times across Europe, at various levels. It's just another chapter in a story. Everyone knows what they're doing . The most important thing is to put on a good show. This only fuels the demands of the game", stressed the former FC Porto player, who once again praised Vitória SC's ability to react to the vicissitudes of a match, as happened in the first half of the season.

"Regardless of the result, Vitória will always go after it, until the end, to win. I believe that, even if they are at a disadvantage, they will never throw in the towel . They are a quality team and know that, at any moment, they can score one or two goals, with a great ability to create opportunities. The team is hurt from the last home game [defeat against Farense], in which they could have sealed European qualification. They didn't manage to do so and want to respond. I'm sure they will be able to do so", he said.

Vitória SC eyes European spot

Jorge Fernandes reinforced that Vitória SC - deprived of Tomás Handel and Filipe Relvas due to an accumulation of yellow cards - will go to Alvalade to guarantee fifth place (and the consequent qualification for the qualifying rounds of the Conference League), in a season full of European achievements, which will not be erased by the outcome of the game in Alvalade.

"Qualifying for Europe is clearly an objective for Vitória. In recent years, it has achieved this consecutively. This would be the fourth time. We know how important this is for the club and how much it values ​​the players. What happens on Saturday will not erase anything from what was a positive season in Europe, due to the progress in the Conference League. We dignified what Vitória is in Europe, which had not been seen for a long time, as well as Portuguese football ", he recalled, before turning his attention to the national context.

"In the championship we ended up making some mistakes and created a big disadvantage against Santa Clara. In this final stretch, we managed to make a great recovery, with coach Luís Freire. They didn't finish the objective in the last round, but the guys are focused on putting the cherry on the cake, in what could be another beautiful page in the club's history . Those who are there are focused on that", he then stressed.

Faced with the particularity of speaking a lot in the first person plural, no longer being in Guimarães, Jorge Fernandes reacted with smiles and revealed that he keeps in touch with his former colleagues, given the affection he has maintained for the club where he has been since 2020.

"It ends up being difficult [laughs], especially because I was part of this season, but I left halfway through. It's normal. In that less positive phase of the championship, due to the many games we had, I was there in those events. I was no longer in the team that recovered eight points against Santa Clara. It's thanks to the coach, who I haven't had the opportunity to work with. When he arrived, I had a problem with my shoulder and, in the meantime, I left. I follow the club and speak to my colleagues every week. I believe that this merit of recovery will be achieved and they will qualify ", he concluded.

Read Also: Rui Borges moves away from controversy with Vitória and focuses on Sporting

Read Also: Vitória SC responds to Rui Borges: "May no one commit foolishness..."