Point was enough for both to progress to the knockout stages of the competition, with City confirmed as group winners; Portuguese champions send newsletter to fans labelling Fernandinho classless and calling Pep Guardiola 'lucky'.
Wednesday 2 December 2020 19:28, UK
Manchester City have hit back at a newsletter released by FC Porto that was highly critical of Pep Guardiola and his players, following last night’s goalless Champions League draw between the two sides.
The point was enough for both to progress to the knockout stages of the competition, with City confirmed as group winners.
But the rivalry on the pitch has spilled over into bad blood after the game, when Porto manager Sergio Conceicao commented on Guardiola's mood, saying in his post-match press conference "I would also be upset if I couldn't win with the team he has and the budget he has."
And the Portuguese champions have gone even further today in a newsletter released to their fans.
Firstly, the letter singles out Fernandinho, who suggested the Porto players were guilty of diving a lot during the game, by saying the City captain should have been sent off and accusing the Brazilian of lacking class.
Bernardo Silva is also mentioned over his FA ban for sending a tweet comparing teammate Benjamin Mendy to a cartoon containing racial stereotypes.
Silva was also fined £50,000 for the offending tweet, which was deleted after 46 minutes, and an FA commission accepted he did not intend the post to be racist.
A City spokesperson has told Sky Sports News: "This is not the first time that Porto have reacted badly in circumstances like this. On this occasion it is the ill-judged and targeted criticism of some of our individual players and indeed our manager, which we wholly reject.
"In 2012, the last season we encountered them, it was the denial by the club of clear racist behaviour of their fans for which they were investigated and fined. In this context, this latest outburst it almost as surprising as it is disappointing."
