White handkerchiefs at Alvalade: Sporting lose to Viseu as fans turn on the coach

What happened

On matchday 9 of the Portuguese league, Sporting lost 1-2 to Académico de Viseu on Sunday evening. The visitors took the lead in the first half, Luis Suárez equalised in the 62nd minute, but Viseu scored again in the 74th. According to Futebol 365, Sporting had around 71 percent possession and 28 shots to the visitors' 9. It was Suárez's tenth consecutive match with a goal, equalling an old club record.

A few days earlier Sporting had lost 2-3 at home to LASK Linz in the Champions League. In the league the club now trails leaders FC Porto by nine points. Rivals Benfica could extend their lead over Sporting to four points with a win against Santa Clara on Monday. Sporting host Marítimo in the League Cup as soon as Tuesday.

The mood on the ground

At the final whistle the frustration in the stands boiled over: according to Maisfutebol there was loud whistling, and many supporters held up white handkerchiefs. Observador described the mood in the stadium as total disbelief. Futebol 365 reports that coach Rui Borges walked to the halfway line to greet the players and faced the protesting fans there.

Borges responded calmly. He called the discontent natural at a club of this size, spoke of a lack of composure in front of goal and said the second goal conceded had badly hit the team's confidence. He defended his players. Captain Gonçalo Inácio said the team had tried everything and asked the fans for continued support.

Borges sidestepped questions about his future. According to Futebol 365, the newspaper Record reported that a meeting on the coach's future could take place in the following hours; the club initially issued no official statement. President Frederico Varandas had publicly backed Borges after an earlier draw.

Voices from the media