Portugal's World Cup failure has led to division and discontent, with a growing rift between fan opinion and the federation. Playoff failure is not an option
Portugal’s inability to qualify for Qatar 2022 is a shock that is still sinking in for many supporters of the Seleçao.
Portugal are not only under intense national media scrutiny, but also in the international spotlight after having failed to cement their place at the 2022 World Cup finals despite their star-studded squad, having fallen to a costly late home defeat against Serbia in their final qualification fixture.
Losing to such respectable opponents is in itself no disgrace, but that they staggered and stumbled into a loss with barely a morsel of offensive aggression was catastrophic to watch unfold, and the inquest continues following what could be described as a cowardly display that has irked many a loyal fan of the national team, who have come to expect so much more from a nation blessed with an array of talent in every department.
In the aftermath of such a debacle, for some the growing and overwhelming feeling is that there is a significant disconnect between the state of the national team's current style, approach and tragectory, and that of the fanbase's aspirations and expectations. Specifically, there appears to be notable opposition to the Portuguese Football Federation’s stance in retaining the services of Portugal's most decorated national team coach, Fernando Santos, a decision which runs counter to a vocal, and significant, proportion of public opinion who no longer feel confident in his leadership of the national selection.
Portugal needing to navigate the playoffs in order to qualify for a major tournament is by no means or of the ordinary, as has already been heavily documented and reiterated. But the manner of the defeat to Serbia - on the back of an equally disappointing performance against Ireland only days earlier in which Portugal secured a 0-0 draw in a drab affair - has left many scathing. With such a Golden Generation of talents, it shouldn't have come to this.
This playoff battle is sure to be more complicated than any that have come before it too, having to beat not one, but two teams to qualify for the tournament finals, each in one-legged battles. Portugal may even have to play away in the second match - should they get that far - and may even find themselves needing to defeat the reigning European champions, Italy, to do so. This was an entirely avoidable mess.
With pressure mounting on the federation to take action, and on Fernando Santos too, the Portuguese manager took to the media and gave an extraordinary interview to discuss the travesty that unfolded in Lisbon, and what the future holds.
For some, his words will have given much needed reassurance and perspective on the objectively impressive job Fernando Santos has done overall for his country, guiding his previously trophyless country to two tournament successes. That simply cannot be overlooked, and the nation will be eternally grateful for his work in breaking Portugal’s trophy drought. For others, his remarks will have irritated further, and would have only added more fuel to the raging fire.
One thing that Santos gave assurances of is that, if Portugal fail to reach the World Cup, he will step down as manager of his own accord. A noble act, one may argue, saving the federation money that would otherwise have to be spent on removing him from his position, which could cost up to €6million. A pointless gesture others may say, as failure to even make the tournament with the squad he has at his disposal is entirely inexplicable and reason enough for dismissal even if he didn't have the decency to leave voluntarily in such a scenario.
The acknowledgment that Portugal may not even reach the World Cup, though obviously a serious possibility, also made such a prospect feel quite real and terrifying as Santos said it. Some may still be in denial that such a thing could happen, others have blind faith that qualification will still happen - as Santos seemed to believe initially, stating after the defeat to Serbia that Portugal will be at Qatar, a point he also suggested in this most recent interview. But acknowledging that this may not actually be the case made it real, and scary.
One other important takeaway from the interview with Santos was that he indicated that Ronaldo is still very much on his side and he commands his captain’s full support. And that's entirely believable. Ronaldo is a loyal individual by nature, something also shown with his support for his under fire club manager too, and his admiration for Fernando Santos in helping take Portugal to their unexpected Euro 2016 title - and Nations League triumph three years later - is evident, as shown by the speech he made in the dressing room shortly after that victory in Paris. The role Santos played in than tournament certainly was not missed.
Retaining the support of a player like Ronaldo is also, unsurprisingly, a massive deal. You would assume that if Portugal's most decorated player in history - the nation's sporting icon and indisputably one of the best to ever play the sport - had objections to Santos continuing in his role, particularly at such a late stage in his international career, then the federation would take quite a different approach to the one they are currently. Ronaldo has a significant voice in the conversation.
Some will have seen the footage of a frustrated Ronaldo at the end of the match against Serbia seemingly irritated with Fernando Santos. Some will have read that as discontent towards his manager, and perhaps him even blaming his coach for the performance and result. Others will have just seen it as a frustrated star who couldn't believe what had happened, and knew his coach couldn't either. The latter seems more likely.
Either way, in the relative calm after a ferocious storm in Lisbon, Ronaldo still seems to be in favour of keeping Santos at the helm, which may have been a vital factor in the position taken up by the Portuguese federation.
There was then an element of scepticism regarding his comments that he has also fulfilled every objective set since taking charge of the national team. Taking the 2016 European Championship and the Nations League campaigns out of the equation, this appears an unusual suggestion, with Portugal having been eliminated from both the 2018 World Cup and delayed 2020 Euros at the round of 16, tournaments that Portugal harboured ambitions of winning. Such early departure from these competitions was a huge disappointment, and simply qualifying for major tournaments cannot be the objective with this group of players. Now, however, even that bear minimum is in jeopardy.
For a football obsessed country like Portugal, unexpected failure of this magnitude is a gutwrenching blow, and an internal national struggle was always likely to ensue. Emotions remain high and tension has built - and that's while Portugal still have a good chance of making it to the World Cup. If they don't, it will be considered a national travesty. Failure now is not an option.
