The Saltillo Affair (Portuguese: O Caso Saltilho) was a series of controversies surrounding the Portugal national team during its participation in the Mexico 1986 FIFA World Cup.
The affair was named after the Mexican city of Saltillo, Coahuila, in which the team was headquartered for the competition, and also the place where the majority of the described events occurred.
The team was eventually announced on 19 April: Hours before leaving Portugal on 10 May, Veloso tested positive for Primobolan, an anabolic steroid.
A local organisation delegate (grandson of a politician, known for being a small-time con artist) offered to go there and purchase the goods for the Portuguese, but after helping himself to the money, never returned.
A game that was staged against a team composed of local workers[3][4] (presented as a "good challenge" by the Mexican authorities) ended in a comical display where Diamantino reportedly participated in an interview during a match.
[3][4] By then, the authority of Amândio de Carvalho, vice-president of the Portuguese Football Federation faced challenges in maintaining control within the team, and president Silva Resende refused to leave Mexico City.
[3] After withdrawing some demands (and working around others, like wearing their training equipment inside out so that they did not display any brands[3]), Portugal played their opening game against England, beating the odds and winning the game with a single goal of Carlos Manuel, the Hero of Stuttgart (and said to be the head of the protesting players), which apparently opened the road to the knockout stage.
[3] José Torres stepped down and was replaced by Ruy Seabra for the Euro 1988 campaign, while removing several players from the national team – Diamantino, Jaime Pacheco, João Pinto, Sobrinho, Fernando Gomes, Paulo Futre and Carlos Manuel.