FC Porto Criticizes Referees, Citing Benfica's Past Penalties

FC Porto has publicly criticized refereeing decisions following their 2-0 win against Alverca in the opening match of the 2026/27 I Liga season. The club used its newsletter, "Dragões Diário," to defend the two penalty kicks awarded and converted by André Silva and Gabri Veiga in the 9th and 44th minutes, respectively.

The club stated that analysts from major sports newspapers deemed both penalty decisions correct. FC Porto asserted that attempts to portray them as favored by referees are unfounded and suggested such narratives reveal "despair." To support their argument, the club referenced data from the previous year, claiming Benfica benefited from the most penalties among teams in the top ten European leagues with 26, while Sporting received 15.

FC Porto also recalled a similar match from the previous season against Nacional where they felt two penalties for FC Porto were overlooked by referee Luís Godinho. In that instance, the VAR did not intervene, and only one penalty was awarded, which resulted in the game's sole goal. This time, the VAR alerted Godinho to both incidents, leading to the successful conversions by FC Porto.

Despite the controversy, FC Porto began their title defense with a victory, placing them among the early league leaders. Other teams securing wins on the first matchday included Gil Vicente, Arouca, and Marítimo. Their main rivals, Benfica and Sporting, started the season with draws.

Key Facts

• FC Porto defeated Alverca 2-0 in the first match of the 2026/27 I Liga season.
• Two penalty kicks, converted by André Silva and Gabri Veiga, secured FC Porto's win.
• FC Porto used its "Dragões Diário" newsletter to criticize refereeing and defend the penalty calls.
• The club cited Benfica as having received 26 penalties in the previous season, more than any other team in the top ten European leagues.
• Sporting reportedly received 15 penalties in the same period.
• FC Porto's victory places them among the group of leaders after the first matchday.