SPORTING : Godinho Lopes: ?Build the future?

"If Domingos says that there is no misunderstanding, then I say that you have your answer", said Sporting's president, speaking in a press conference on Friday afternoon.

Luís Godinho Lopes used the end of week meeting with the media as an opportunity to clear the Alvalade air, noting: "Two completely different things are evident, one of which is my manifestation as president that Sporting is not meeting its objectives right now. It would make no sense for a president of this Club to say that he is satisfied seeing the team in fourth place."

The president also went on to reveal that he makes a conscious effort to put himself in the fans' shoes and that Domingos has a role to play at Alvalade that differs to that of president: "I try to look at things from the point of view of the fans, where as Domingos naturally is different. He is trying to explain the work that he is doing to put together a team comprised of players from various parts of the world. What has been said by me and by him complement each other and you can be sure that together we can put Sporting where it belongs. When putting together the project that we have for this Club, we thought about who would be the right people for the job. That means having the ability to make Sporting into a champion, with the bar being set at fighting until the end of the season for the top spots."

Obviously the president was always going to be grilled about the current situation surrounding Bojinov, but the Alvalade chief proved willing to show his hand: "There are two things to be looked at here. One is an internal matter, which his what gave rise to the announcement that we made regarding the immediate suspension of the player pending a disciplinary process. The other is in relation to him grabbing the ball to take the penalty, showing that he was feeling confident enough to score. Obviously he didn't grab the ball thinking that he wasn't going to score. We should try to defend the player for his desire to score, but we also have to position him relative to respect for the Club's internal regulations. They are two different things and each has its own place."

With João Pereira taking his time to leave the pitch at the end of the game against Moreirense, media speculation is rife around a supposed exit. However, Luís Godinho Lopes brushed off any suggestion of a move. "What João Pereira did is what I would like to see all the players doing, which is, regardless of winning or drawing, is to thank the fans. We have had some great support this season, which was again repeated yesterday. It wouldn't make sense if the players didn't recognise it."