Portuguese FA blunder almost proved costly for Seleção in Denmark

An administrative blunder by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) almost proved costly for Portugal in Denmark. The situation was disclosed by the Danish Football Association (DBU), who clarified the pre-match error made by the Portuguese federation. The technical oversight could have resulted in serious repercussions for the Seleção.

Prior to kickoff, the team led by Jorge Jesus listed only eight substitutes on the official team sheet, with Rúben Dias mistakenly named captain instead of Bruno Fernandes. Furthermore, the likes of João Neves and João Félix were completely left off the official squad list for the fixture.

According to the DBU, the mistake originated from the Portuguese side, who quickly requested permission from UEFA to rectify it.

"The Portuguese Football Federation registered the full 23-man squad before midnight, as is standard practice, but there was a technical error on UEFA's match sheet before kickoff regarding some of the substitutes. Portugal alerted UEFA to the mistake and asked for permission to correct it, as is normal in such situations, and we agreed," revealed Peter Møller, Football Director at the Danish FA, speaking to TV 2 Sport.

Had permission to fix the mistake been denied, Portugal would have been barred from using João Neves and João Félix—the latter having come off the bench to make it 4-2 for Jorge Jesus' side.