After Benfica loss, Manteigas says Porto sway refs: “A whiff of the past” | OneFootball

, a former candidate for the presidency of Benfica, reacted to the Eagles' defeat against Porto on social media and analyzed several of the controversial moments from the clássico. The lawyer says the match brings back memories of old times.

"The modus operandi is so clear and obvious that it reeks of the stale air of the past. They pick targets to put them under pressure. This pressure takes time to plan and apply. But in Portugal, it pays off. History repeats itself. Dealing with pressure is not for everyone," he wrote on his Instagram account.

To support his view, the well-known Glorioso supporter also brought up the sendings-off of Nicolás Otamendi - who spoke with Prestianni - against Famalicão in May 2025, and of Zeno Debast in Sporting - Arouca, played on Saturday, comparing those episodes with the card shown to Gabri Veiga in the clássico. The lawyer also shared four moments of Porto protesting refereeing decisions between November 2025 and January 2026, including statements by André Villas-Boas in which the blue-and-white president criticized the existence of a "double standard" and "different interpretations".

Manteigas believes the issue goes beyond isolated incidents and considers that there is a structural component in Portuguese football. "Anyone who thinks Portuguese football, in this regard, will or should change in the future is mistaken. Not even with the much-vaunted centralization. This is national football. It gets ratings. We have to deal with it", he said, describing this scenario as something "cultural" and "idiosyncratic."

In light of this scenario, the former candidate also left a message about how Benfica should react to the context he describes. "Either you understand 'the game' and are prepared to play with weapons of equal or greater caliber ... or else it's simply better to make way for those who know how to try to put an end to the mockery", he concluded.

See Manteigas' post:

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