Former FIFA referee Pedro Proenca was removed from the UEFA Referees Committee because he was elected to chair the Portuguese Professional Football League (LPFP), a position deemed incompatible with his functions in the European body. Source close to Pedro Proenca, who had been elected in June for a term of four years, confirmed that the current president of LPFP has been notified of the decision of the UEFA Referees Committee. The main issue is, according to the same source, the incompatibility with Proenca’s election as the new president of LPFP, representing the clubs.
UEFA was displeased to learn that some of the clubs that supported the candidacy of Pedro Proenca as president of the League, and in particular FC Porto and Sporting, defend the draw of the referees. The UEFA Chief Refereeing Officer, Pierluigi Collina, which has a good relationship with the former Portuguese referee, was hardly impressed with the situation. This was an important factor that weighed heavily on Pedro Proenca’removal from the UEFA Referees Committee. The fact that Proenca is now the president of the Portuguese League creates a conflict of interest with a position in the European refereeing body, but the issue of being supported by clubs who defend the draw of the referees worsened the situation that lead to his departure from the upper echelons of the UEFA refereeing.
Source: RTP/Lusa
