Benfica issue statement criticising Pedro Sousa over António Silva leak claims | OneFootball

Benfica have issued a statement defending António Silva after claims by commentator Pedro Sousa that he leaked Portugal’s starting XI before Georgia v Portugal at Euro 2024, a match in which the defender started.

According to Glorioso 1904, the club said a campaign had been built in recent days to target the 22-year-old and questioned why the subject emerged just before the 2026 World Cup squad announcement, from which he was left out.

Benfica also wondered whether that omission was a coincidence. The statement praised Silva as an exemplary person and professional, one of the club’s main assets, a team captain and a proud product of the club, and called the repeated attacks unacceptable.

After the announcement, Roberto Martínez confirmed the episode and described it as very serious. He said the investigation found it was an accident rather than a disciplinary breach, and that Silva had learned from it.

The club added that, rather than confirm or deny specifics, it wished to register its concern over the timing of the claims while reiterating support for its player.

Source: Glorioso 1904