The Liga 3 team’s squad makes a decision to demonstrate “that Caldas has no limits.
The Caldas squad announced that they will play against Sporting Braga this Tuesday “under protest” due to the change of venue the day before .
The Round of 16 match of the Portuguese Cup, scheduled for 7:00 pm, was supposed to take place at Campo da Mata, but the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) has determined that it will be played in Torres Vedras, considering that the pitch at the Liga 3 team’s field is “unplayable.
Early this morning, Caldas expressed surprise at the federation’s decision, communicated approximately 24 hours before the match . The club proposed postponing the match as an alternative solution, a proposal that was rejected.
This Tuesday, the day of the match, the squad threatened not to show up for the game against Braga, feeling they had suffered “a hard blow” and reiterated their “sadness, anger and incomprehension” at the FPF’s decision. However, a few hours before kickoff, the players guaranteed they would play to demonstrate “that Caldas has no limits .
Caldas’ statement in full
The football we believed in has lost its magic.
Today was a special day because, even before Christmas, we would have the family gathered in the stands of our stadium.
We would all be there, scarves draped over our shoulders, celebrating the beauty of supporting the club we watched (and that watched us) grow.
They took that away from us, but they will never take away our desire to represent this emblem and to honor it every minute on the field.
They will never take away our pride in knowing that it’s so easy to be one of the greats, but so much more beautiful to be from Caldas.
Not yielding would mean that we wouldn’t take the field today. That would be our greatest wish, but the consequences of this decision would be disastrous for Caldas.
To be punished for an action that seemed inevitable to us for the sake of sporting integrity was to suffer the consequences twice.
And at this moment we also need to think about all those who wear this emblem daily and honor it, from the youngest children to the veterans, from football to other sports.
Caldas Sport Clube is a century-old club. It deserves the respect of all sports stakeholders, like any other club in this country. We will show on the field the respect we have for sport and for sporting integrity, even on one of the days when we feel most alone in this mission.
Yesterday, in the early evening, our Campo da Mata field was declared closed.
And so, they took away the ground beneath our feet and pushed us against the wall.
The lack of respect and consideration we felt was immense.
Members and supporters, we guarantee that we will not be silenced, that we will not forget.
The first way we can do this is today, on the field, with all of you supporting us.
We will show that Caldas has no limits, even if this is one of the saddest moments in our long and respected history.
Under protest. Let’s play.
For each member.
For each supporter.
For every little one, toddler, child, beginner, youth, junior, senior, and veteran. Because we want to continue making sport what we try to teach them every day.
Together.
Through Caldas