Pedro Proença faces referee boycott before Supertaça

Pedro Proença referee boycott Supertaça audio leak FPF

Professional football referees in Portugal refused to start the mandatory recycling and evaluation training scheduled for 31 July 2026 in Tomar, demanding a public apology from FPF president Pedro Proença after private audio recordings were leaked in which he called the referees “weak”. Proença condemned the leak as illegal and immoral but reiterated “maximum confidence” in the quality of Portuguese refereeing without issuing an apology. The boycott threatens the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, the season‑opening match between FC Porto and Torreense set for 1 August 2026 in Coimbra. Officials said the game could still be played with substitute officials or be postponed, but cancellation is unlikely. A meeting between the referees and Proença is planned for the Saturday morning of the Supertaça to try to resolve the dispute.

Entities: André Narciso · Associação Portuguesa de Árbitros de Futebol (APAF) · FC Porto · Federação Portuguesa de Futebol · Federação Portuguesa de Futebol (FPF) · José Fontelas Gomes · Luciano Gonçalves · Pedro Proença · Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) · Portuguese referees · Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira · Torreense

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[○ 1 SOURCE] A fourth audio was released alleging no new generation of referees and further criticizing the refereeing class. (multiple articles)
[● 9 SOURCES] Private audio recordings of Pedro Proença criticizing Portuguese referees as weak were leaked in July 2026. (audio leak content.)
[● 2 SOURCES] The Associação Portuguesa de Árbitros de Futebol (APAF) requested clarification and an apology from Pedro Proença regarding the audio content. (multiple articles)
[● 8 SOURCES] Professional referees refused to start the mandatory recycling and evaluation training in Tomar on 31 July 2026. (refers to the boycott of the first action of the season.)
[● 10 SOURCES] The Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira match between FC Porto and Torreense scheduled for 1 August 2026 in Coimbra could be affected by the referees' boycott. (potential impact on the match.)
[● 8 SOURCES] Pedro Proença condemned the audio leak as illegal and immoral. (Proença's response to the leak.)
[● 4 SOURCES] Referees demanded a public apology from Pedro Proença. (existing)
[● 5 SOURCES] Experts said the Supertaça could still be played using substitute officials or be postponed, but cancellation is unlikely. (expert assessment of possible outcomes.)
[● 2 SOURCES] FC Porto coach Francesco Farioli said his team is ready for the Supertaça despite limited transfer funds. (new)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Council of Arbitration president Luciano Gonçalves met with the referees and expressed solidarity. (new)
[● 4 SOURCES] Referees refused to start the mandatory recycling and evaluation training on 31 July 2026 in Tomar. (new)
[● 8 SOURCES] Referees demanded a public apology from Pedro Proença for the audio comments. (referees' demand for apology.)