FPF president Pedro Proença apologises to referees, accepts demands after leaked audios threaten Supertaça

Leaked audios ignite crisis

In late July, three audio recordings from about two years earlier were made public, capturing Pedro Proença criticising the quality of Portuguese refereeing as "very weak", referencing Benfica's legal cases, and speaking unfavourably about FPF vice-president José Fontelas Gomes. The leaks triggered immediate backlash from the refereeing community. On Friday 31 July, referees gathered in Tomar for the mandatory pre-season training and assessment course (ARA) refused to begin the session, demanding a direct explanation and public retraction from the FPF president. The boycott threatened the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, the season's curtain-raiser between FC Porto and Torreense scheduled for Saturday evening in Coimbra.

Emergency talks in Tomar

Proença travelled to Tomar overnight and met with the referees, CA president Luciano Gonçalves, and referee spokesperson Luís Godinho. The meeting lasted around one hour and twenty minutes and concluded near 2am on Saturday. According to reports in A Bola and Record, Proença explained the context of the leaked remarks, apologised, and accepted several demands from the officials, including equal training conditions in the north and in Lisbon and improvements to health insurance. The parties also agreed to set up a working group the following week to address structural problems in Portuguese refereeing with a concrete timeline and deliverables. With the agreement, the referees lifted their boycott, started the ARA course on Saturday morning, and confirmed that André Narciso would officiate the Supertaça as planned.

Supertaça goes ahead

The match took place at the Estádio Municipal de Coimbra at 20:15 on Saturday, with FC Porto defeating Torreense 1-0. The fixture, which had been at risk of a refereeing strike, proceeded without incident, marking the official start of the 2026/27 Portuguese football season.

Proença faces the media

After the match, Proença spoke to RTP in the mixed zone, his first public comments on the controversy outside of a social media statement. He drew a sharp line between his private opinions and his institutional role.

At no point can the opinions of citizen Pedro Proença, expressed at a certain moment and in a certain circumstance, be confused with the current role and formal opinions of the FPF president.

He described the leaked recordings as "manipulations, truncated conversations, taken out of context" and called the act of leaking them "acts of cowardice, not to say absolutely illegal". He added that he would not allow his personal dignity to be called into question. Asked about the specific content of the audios, Proença said he would need to see the full conversation to judge whether it was truncated or spoken about someone else, reiterating that his private views had no bearing on his official duties.

On the separate case involving CA president Luciano Gonçalves, Proença stated that the matter had been referred to the FPF's Justice Council, which took an independent decision, and that "from a sporting point of view, everything is now resolved".

What comes next

Proença insisted that "all conditions" are in place for the new season, describing a 10-month campaign with "great challenges" and noting that Portuguese football is on the eve of organising a World Cup. The working group on refereeing will begin its work next week, and the FPF has pledged to invest in better conditions for match officials to ensure healthier competitions and defend the integrity of the game.