Benfica accuse Gustavo Correia of lying: failed to tell the truth | OneFootball

Benfica reacted this Tuesday to the decision by the Disciplinary Board of the Portuguese Football Federation to reprimand referee Gustavo Correia, following the report drawn up after last season’s match between Famalicão and Benfica. At issue is the disciplinary body’s conclusion that the referee’s report contained facts that did not correspond to reality regarding the behavior of the Reds’ general director, Mário Branco.

In an official statement, Benfica described it as "incomprehensible" that Gustavo Correia finished the season among the highest-rated referees, despite the alleged harm caused to the club throughout the campaign. The Reds also accuse the referee of having "failed to tell the truth on the field and later, outside it", arguing that the facts now confirmed require consequences proportionate to the seriousness of the situation.

The club from Luz also argues that it is important to determine any possible responsibility of the match delegate, claiming that the respective report also includes facts contradicted by the CCTV footage. In the same statement, Benfica revealed that this case will be part of the agenda for the emergency meeting already requested from the Board of the Portuguese Football Federation.

"The seriousness of the facts proven today by the decision of the Disciplinary Board will be another topic included on the agenda of the emergency meeting already requested by Benfica from the Board of the Portuguese Football Federation," the statement says.

The Reds also argue that a referee cannot include false information in an official document without appropriate consequences, warning that the absence of a firm response would represent "yet another deeply wrong signal for Portuguese football" and for everyone who demands "rigor, competence and credibility" in refereeing.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.