Sergio Conceição has been Porto's coach for seven years and has been on the list to become the new coach of Milan for a couple of weeks. The contractual situation is complicated, and after the Portuguese Cup final on May 26th, the coach will meet with the new president André Villas-Boas to discuss his future.
The Portuguese tactician spoke in a press conference today on the eve of the derby against Boavista.
Have you spoken with André Villas-Boas? Do you plan to stay here next season? Is there any kind of assessment you can make at this stage of the season?
"It's not the time to make assessments, otherwise I would have to talk about seven years and I won't talk about the pandemic, financial fair play, elections... Fans, members, and sympathisers are more concerned about tomorrow's match, a derby from the Northern region, and there will be another one. It's a region where football represents the country excellently. The important thing is to think about tomorrow's match, and then look in the medium or short term at the matches we have ahead and the Cup final. It's not the time to make assessments."
You renewed with FC Porto before the elections, and news about your compensation emerged yesterday. Can you clarify? Conceição replied:
"There's nothing to clarify. I've been here for seven years, I've already renewed three times - this was the third time. Our club in these seven years has had three difficult years of financial fair play, two difficult years of pandemic as well. There have been many difficulties but despite everything, we are there, in terms of titles, equal to our big rivals, Sporting and Benfica. I think the work has been done well. The opinion of the three candidates and the current president was that I should have renewed more than a year ago. Our president intended to put it in writing, and Dr. Nuno Lobo also had the kindness to say that if he were president, I would be the coach. I'm not tied to the position. I don't want to talk more about this. Respect it."
