Sergio Conceicao has become the centre of debate after his Porto side were beaten on penalties by Arsenal on Tuesday night.
The Gunners edged into the quarter-finals for the first time in 14 years after beating their Portuguese opponents 4-2 on penalties, but the win was overshadowed by Conceicao’s post-match claim.
Having furiously confronted Arteta on the pitch in the immediate aftermath of the penalty shootout, Conceicao made the accusation in his press conference.
Arteta has denied Sergio Conceicao’s accusations, with club sources indicating the Spaniard did not say anything about his rival’s family.
Sergio Conceicao has become the centre of debate after his Porto side were beaten by Arsenal
Conceicao furiously confronted Mikel Arteta and accused him of insulting his family
Arteta attempted to play down the row and Arsenal have denied that he insulted Conceicao
The suggestion that Arteta made mention of Conceicao’s family understandably irked the Porto boss, given the tragic backstory.
As reported by Portuguese outlet JN, Conceicao was just 16-years-old when his father died following a car crash.
Reflecting on the death, he told the outlet: ‘I remember signing for FC Porto, after we managed to get my father around, to let me go to a big city like Porto.
‘It happened after two, three months of insistence over going to play for FC Porto. The day after signing the contract my father passed away’.
Two years after his father’s death, his mother also passed away.
In the same interview, he divulged further: ‘I thought about leaving football. I felt lost at the moment’.
‘It was a strict upbringing, but I adored my father. My mother continues to be my great idol. I continue to think about them every day. And to pray for them too’.
Conceicao recently shared a photo of his mother – who passed when he was just 18-years-old
Conceicao’s clash with Arteta wasn’t the first time that he’d butted heads with a Premier League coach – having argued with Thomas Tuchel back in 2021.
After their encounter with Chelsea in the Champions League quarter-final stage, Conceicao contended that Tuchel told him to ‘f*** off’ after the final whistle.
Chelsea sources claim Conceicao was intent on antagonising their bench from the early stages and put pressure on the officials throughout the game.
Porto’s players are said to have used particularly foul language towards the Chelsea team.
Speaking after the game, Conceicao said that he had been goaded by Tuchel, adding: ‘I was insulted by this man who is next door. I told the referee that the fourth official 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.’
A Chelsea spokesman responded: ‘This allegation is complete nonsense.’
Former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel was accused of telling Conceicao to ‘f*** off’ back in 2021
The Porto boss insists that the fourth official heard abusive language used by Tuchel
Similarly, back in 2020, Conceicao clashed with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola after their group stage encounter.
Speaking after their loss, Conceicao said: ‘I’ve got a lot to learn from Pep Guardiola, in the way he pressures referees, talks to opposition players and the opposition dugout,’
‘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.’
