António Nobre picked for Benfica v Sporting clash sparks concern | OneFootball

The choice of António Nobre may not have been well received by Benfica. According to reports, the news of this referee's appointment has caused some surprise and apprehension within the club's structure, led by Rui Costa, due to the history the referee has accumulated in recent matches he officiated.

The newspaper Record writes, in this Wednesday's edition, that the situation of the AF Leiria referee is still very much alive in Benfica's mind, especially due to the history dating back to last season. In the Eagles' matches, António Nobre awarded three penalties against Benfica; all of them were opposed or overturned by VAR.

The most glaring case occurred during the home match against Arouca, a game that ended in a 2-2 draw and affected Benfica's standings in the race for the national championship title. The penalty awarded for an alleged trip by Otamendi's head was invalidated by VAR, but the AF Leiria referee did not reverse his decision.

On the other hand, the referee also comes under fire after the two games he officiated this season involving Sporting. In two separate matches, António Nobre “forgave” two expulsions for Sporting players: Gonçalo Inácio against Famalicão and Ousmane Diomande against Alverca.

Benfica's apprehension is considered legitimate, due to the successive errors the AF Leiria referee recorded in both the Eagles' and the Greens and Whites' matches. It turned out to be a choice by the Refereeing Council that does not meet the demands of the derby, scheduled for December 5th, at 8:15 PM.

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