Arsenal secured their place in the Champions League quarter-finals after beating FC Porto on penalties, and it was not an easy tie.
Porto defended well, but frustrated Arsenal with their disruptive tactics, and Mikel Arteta came to blows with Sergio Conceicao on the touchline.
Conceicao refused to shake Arteta’s hand after David Raya helped Arsenal to victory in the penalty shootout, and he astonishingly accused the Spaniard of insulting his family during the game.
Arsenal and Arteta have denied the accusations, and it seems that they believe this is merely another tactic from Porto to deflect from their defeat, and given Conceicao’s history, it would not be a surprise.
Conceicao has battled several other managers during his career, both domestically and in Europe, and Pep Guardiola is also aware of how fiery the Portuguese coach can get.
Sergio Conceicao previously battled with Pep Guardiola
Porto faced Manchester City in the Champions League group stages in October 2020, and lost 3-1 after going 1-0 up.
Conceicao and Guardiola constantly battled throughout the game, and the Porto boss claimed he felt insulted by the Spaniard afterwards.
“I’ve got a lot to learn from Pep Guardiola, in the way he pressures referees, talks to opposition players and opposition dugout,” he stated.
“He’s a fantastic example. I have to learn this. We were angels compared to the other dugout.
“He spoke about our country using ugly words. Guardiola’s attitude was extremely unpleasant. The whole Manchester City dugout was because if anybody should have been complaining, it was the Porto bench, because we were extremely hard done by.”
Sergio Conceicao’s war of words with Thomas Tuchel
Former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel found himself in a similar situation as the one Arteta faces now.
Conceicao claimed that the German had “insulted” him when Porto faced Chelsea in April 2021, with the Portuguese side winning 1-0 at Stamford Bridge, but losing 2-1 on aggregate in the Champions League quarter-finals.
“I was insulted by this man who is next door,” he claimed.
“I told the referee that the fourth referee heard the insults. My English is not perfect, there is no point in talking about it. There was no exchange of words because I was focused on the game, I don’t know why he reacted.
“But I didn’t understand it very well. I heard some insults, but it’s gone … it’s not pretty and my irritation in the end had to do with it. I didn’t even speak to him.”
Sergio Conceicao was sent off for Porto after celebrating victory
Porto produced a remarkable display in the Taca De Portugal last season, progressing to the final in the last few minutes of extra time against Famalicao.
Otavio and Evanilson scored in added time of extra time to secure their place in the final, and Conceicao did not hold back on his celebrations, as he received a red card for entering the opposition technical area, and celebrating in front of the opposition bench.
“I was sent off for celebrating the goal, I didn’t invade the technical area, that’s a lie. I only invaded the technical area after being expelled,” he stated after the game.
Conceicao then tried to justify his behaviour by criticising the referee, but what is clear is that these incidents are far from isolated affairs, and his spat with Arteta may simply be the latest episode of Conceicao’s hypocrisy when it comes to respect between coaches.
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