João Diogo Manteigas hits out at Rui Costa over António Silva row | OneFootball

Before Benfica publicly spoke out about the controversy surrounding António Silva (Recall HERE), João Diogo Manteigas once again publicly criticized Benfica’s hierarchy, pointing the finger at the Club’s silence in the face of what he sees as an unfair attack on the player.

“Since the start of this week, what reason is there for this veritable witch hunt against António Silva to have been unleashed? Will Benfica continue to allow this brutal and public humiliation of a young man who, besides being a model product of the academy, is one of its captains?” he wrote on his Instagram account, questioning the stance of the board led by Rui Costa.

The lawyer reinforced his opinion. “Has Benfica not coordinated with the player’s two representation and professional image management companies to publicly condemn all these harmful statements and fight back against everyone trying to tarnish the image of a young man who is only 22 and who, since the age of 10, has represented our club with pride, dedication and love?” he added.

Manteigas ended his message by saying that the fans will always stand by the defender. “We look after our own. There must be a firm response to all the attack campaigns and constant attempts to devalue him. Benfica fans will always stand by António. Next season, we are counting on him because he has already shown us that, with his contribution, we will be stronger, more united and ready to win. Against everything and everyone!” he concluded.

In the 2025/26 season, playing for Benfica, António Silva – valued at €28 million – made 41 official appearances: 25 in Liga Portugal Betclic, 10 in the Champions League, four in the Portuguese Cup, one in the League Cup and one in the Super Cup. In the 3,118 minutes he was on the pitch, the defender scored one goal and provided one assist.

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