Sporting Clube de Portugal announced on Sunday that Rui Borges is no longer the club's head coach. In a statement, the Lisbon club said it had met with the first-team coach and that talks had begun to terminate his contract. Tiago Fernandes, the B-team coach, will take charge of the team for the next match against Shakhtar Donetsk in London in the Champions League. Borges had been in charge for almost two years and was due to oversee his 100th game against Shakhtar; he leaves with a Portuguese League title and a Portuguese Cup. Speaking on Rádio Observador, sports commentator Augusto Inácio said the dismissal was not surprising given recent results, including a Portuguese Cup defeat to Torriense and league losses to Zlin and Boavista. He said the club had contacted several coaches, including Abel Ferreira and Leonardo Jardim, but both were working in Brazil, before turning to Paulo Fonseca. Inácio said he believes Fonseca has already reached an agreement with Sporting and will be on the bench for the next league game, despite bureaucratic issues meaning Tiago Fernandes will lead the team against Shakhtar. Inácio added that Fonseca, who has coached Shakhtar and Milan, has the experience to take over, but warned that Sporting are nine points behind leaders Porto and face a difficult challenge.
In Lisbon, tensions rose in Rossio square on Sunday evening after police fined at least two drivers who were honking in support of protesters. The drivers were stopped and issued fines, prompting more people to gather near the Teatro Nacional Dona Maria II and chant slogans against the police. The atmosphere later calmed, with several hundred people remaining in the square. André Ventura, leader of the Chega party, criticised the government's handling of the situation, saying it only became a public order issue because the prime minister had been absent. He also announced that his party would present an emergency housing package.
In Porto, mayor Pedro Duarte invited protesters from the city's encampment to a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the possibility of occasional encampments and the right to demonstrate, as well as a possible larger meeting at the Teatro Rivoli. The Secretary of State for Housing, Patrícia Gonçalves Costa, said she was available to meet with the organisations behind the encampments. Meanwhile, the Livre party called for the resignation of the Minister of Internal Administration over what it described as disproportionate and unjustified police charges. Livre co-spokesperson Isabel Mendes Lopes said the ministry had no conditions to continue and that the party would file a complaint with the Council of Europe's Human Rights Commissioner and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
In local news, the municipal pools in Póvoa de Varzim will reopen on Monday after being closed for about a month due to a bacterium detected in the facilities. The eighth edition of the Entre Olhares Portuguese Film Festival begins in Barreiro next Saturday, featuring almost 60 films. In Alcobaça, Sister Sport will host the Sister Talks series, with the first session on 14 November. Porto de Mós will hold the 38th Grande Prémio de Atletismo da Mendiga on 29 November, with 10km and 15km races. Santa Maria da Feira's Perlim à Mesa returns from 28 November to 30 December, and Oeiras will switch on its Christmas lights next Saturday at Largo 5 de Outubro as part of the São Martinho festivities.
Sources: Observador.