João Gabriel applauds Benfica stance on Pedro Proença, says sixth row suits him | OneFootball

João Gabriel has praised Rui Costa for not seating Pedro Proença in the front row at Estádio da Luz, calling it an appropriate response. According to Glorioso 1904, the former Benfica communications director welcomed what he saw as a firm reply to recent controversy around the FPF president.

Proença watched Benfica’s 6-1 win over Hearts on Thursday night from the stands. Unlike usual protocol, he was not seated alongside Rui Costa and was placed several rows back.

Gabriel wrote on LinkedIn that Benfica’s protocol had finally acknowledged Proença’s place in the stadium, moving him from the first to the sixth row, and that messages do not always need audio. He suggested the sixth row could be the club’s first public reply to the audio clips and to what Proença has represented for Benfica.

He argued a stronger response would be to deny him entry, yet in its absence, that seating suited him. Gabriel also criticised Proença for accepting a public demotion and remaining in his seat for the full 90 minutes, saying this reflected the character heard in the audio clips.

Rui Costa has made no public comment on the row involving Proença, which stemmed from publicly shared audio clips of the current FPF president. In one clip, the former referee discussed judicial cases involving Benfica during his time as president of Liga Portugal.

Source: Glorioso 1904

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