João Gabriel slams draw with Braga: referees lost respect for Benfica | OneFootball

João Gabriel took to social media to react to the disastrous draw against Braga, a 2-2 stalemate. In the text he shared, the former head of communications at Benfica criticized João Pinheiro’s refereeing, argued that the Club of Light has lost respect, and once again targeted the leadership of Rui Costa.

"Benfica did not mortgage the Champions League or the title today. They mortgaged them a long time ago. They mortgaged them on the day they stopped understanding that, in Portugal, championships are also won on the institutional front. They mortgaged them when they handed power on a silver platter to those committed to two big clubs — and Benfica is neither of them", João Gabriel began.

"The referees have lost respect for the rules, but above all, they have lost respect for Benfica. And they lost it because they felt that Benfica no longer had strength, influence, the ability to apply pressure, or leadership. In Portuguese football, when a club loses institutional weight, it quickly stops being feared", the former director pointed out, once again tearing into the current management of the Eagles.

"And when it stops being feared, it starts being treated as a secondary actor. Rui Costa never understood that. There is no point in banging the table. Leadership is not about banging the table; leadership is making the table shake before you even touch it. Today, no one truly takes Rui Costa seriously in the corridors of power of Portuguese football", João Gabriel criticized.

"Not in the Federation, not in the League, not in refereeing. And that is fatal for anyone leading the biggest Portuguese club. Because a president can lose games. What he cannot lose is influence, respect, and the ability to protect the club. And Rui Costa has lost all three", the former Benfica official wrote in his post on the social network LinkedIn.

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