“Obliged to answer”
Spitting attack on colleagues? Professional defends himself against allegations
April 6, 2026 – 7:09 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
A supposedly unpleasant scene from Portugal is going viral on social media. Now the affected player speaks out.
Portuguese football professional Alberto Costa has defended himself against allegations that he spat on his opponent Sorriso’s head after a duel. After the “attack on his sporting integrity” and the attempt to “twist the truth,” he feels forced to react. The defense attorney wrote: “At no time did I spit on my colleague.” Anyone who knew him would know that he wasn’t capable of that.
During the heated 2-2 draw between FC Porto and FC Famalicão, defender Costa pushed his opponent Sorriso to the ground from behind. The referee awarded a free kick, and in the scramble for the ball, Costa leaned over to his opponent who was sitting on the ground as he walked away to say something. Shortly afterwards, Sorriso turned his head to the side and held his upper arm in front of his face. This can be seen in a video. However, it is impossible to tell whether Costa is actually spitting.
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In a post on his Instagram story on Sunday afternoon, the 22-year-old protested his innocence.
“Words were simply spoken in the heat of the moment, as the recordings clearly show,” he commented on the videos circulating. The duo also had a big influence on the game in terms of sport. Alberto Costa initially gave his team the lead and Sorriso equalized. In the 91st minute, Seko Fofana scored for Porto to supposedly win, but the visitors equalized in the ninth minute of injury time.
Porto is top of the table in the Portuguese league and is five points ahead of rivals Sporting Lisbon, but has also played one game more.
