Benfica hit out over phantom penalty, demand answers from Proença | OneFootball

Sport Lisboa e Benfica - which retained a National Champion - turned to digital platforms to express deep outrage at the refereeing team led by João Pinheiro. The Eagles harshly criticized the referee and the VAR (João Casegas and Tiago Leandro) for the penalty awarded in the match between Santa Clara and Sporting, for a phantom foul on Morten Hjulmand. The club demands immediate action from Pedro Proença, president of the Portuguese Football Federation.

In the lengthy and harsh official statement released last Wednesday night, it reads: “Yet another scandalous episode. What happened in this Portuguese Cup match in the Azores is indefensible and unacceptable for the credibility of Portuguese football. 12 minutes to find a penalty to benefit the same team as always, time after time.”

The text goes on to compare the different standards applied in the same stadium: “On the same pitch where last year a clear and obvious penalty against Sporting didn’t even get the VAR’s attention and where, already this season, they won with a phantom corner. Phenomena that always happen whenever Sporting isn’t winning.”

The message ends with a strong appeal for accountability from those overseeing Portuguese football, namely Pedro Proença: “Someone needs to be held responsible for this total discredit that is killing Portuguese football. There’s no point in this packed calendar if the competitions are decided before they even begin.”

It is worth recalling that Sporting had already previously beaten Santa Clara, in the Liga Portugal Betclic, in an equally controversial scenario. The winning goal came in stoppage time, from a corner that, in reality, should have been a goal kick for the islanders.

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