Coentrão and Jorge Jesus involved in touchline spat
Television cameras captured a heated discussion between on-loan Real defender and his coach during the victory over Tondela in the José Alvalade.
Sporting Clube de Portugal eased to victory over Tondela on Saturday to take temporary leadership of the Portuguese league but the game was not entirely without incident as Fábio Coentrão and Sporting boss Jorge Jesus engaged in a furious argument on the touchline.
Television cameras picked up the heated exchange between the on-loan Real Madrid defender and Jesus, with Sporting 2-0 to the good and no apparent reason for the altercation.
The incident occurred immediately after Bruno Fernandes had scored Sporting’s second of the afternoon on 71 minutes, which essentially put the game beyond Tondela. While his teammates celebrated, Coentrão made for the touchline and engaged in a spirited debate with his coach.
Coentrão's Sporting difficulties
It was not the first time the full back’s arrival at Sporting had raised eyebrows. Due to his past as a Benfica player – and the fact that he had previously stated he would never play for anyone else in Portugal – Coentrão’s signing was not met with universal approval. Adding to the tension was Coentrão’s recent call up to Fernando Santos’ national side after recently returning from injury. Jesus publicly stated that he hoped his player would not suffer a relapse on international duty and Coentrão limped off injured in the game against Hungary after 28 minutes, which did not go down well at Sporting.
