Martinez says Silva omission was tactical after leak probe

Roberto Martinez said Antonio Silva’s leaked team-sheet episode was investigated and found to be an accident, with Tomas Araujo taking the 2026 World Cup place.

The Portugal coach told Record that the Euro 2024 issue was not being held against the Benfica centre-back. He said the omission was tactical and that two years had passed since the incident.

"When there's a tournament and information leaks out, it's a very serious situation. At that time, we investigated and it was an accident. It wasn't a lack of discipline.

"It happened at Euro 2024 and that's not part of the decision now. Two years have passed. It happens in group dynamics and it's important to remember the most important thing: it was an accident and not an act of indiscipline. Antonio learned from it, but that's not part of the decision now."

The 22-year-old defender had come under scrutiny after he prematurely disclosed tactical team sheets before Portugal’s Euro 2024 match against Georgia. Martinez said the internal investigation concluded the security breach was unintentional, and the technical staff said the administrative blunder played no part in the decision to leave him out of the current tournament roster.

Silva has had a difficult domestic campaign under Jose Mourinho at Benfica, where he has often lost his starting place to 24-year-old Tomas Araujo. The 20-cap international has also made seven subsequent international appearances since that night against Georgia, before his final warm-up appearance in March.

Portugal were drawn in Group K with DR Congo, Uzbekistan and Colombia for the 2026 World Cup. Their campaign begins at Houston's NRG Stadium on June 17, and Silva will spend the summer break trying to regain form and push back into national team contention.