António Salvador slams refereeing in Benfica clash: Officials swayed | OneFootball

The 2-2 draw between SC Braga and Benfica was surrounded by criticism of referee João Gonçalves from both clubs. José Mourinho, Aursnes, and the president of Benfica, Rui Costa, contested the performance of the referee and the VAR, Tiago Martins, regarding the disallowed goal that would have given the Eagles a 3-2 lead.

António Salvador, president of the Minho club, criticized the appointment of the VAR and argued that a clear penalty on João Moutinho in the seventh minute was not awarded.

“You know well what happened. It’s a shame that conditions are created that influence and don’t allow proper circumstances around the referees and the VAR. There is a lot of talk about refereeing; we should protect referees so they can do their job properly, even the best ones. We had an excellent referee, a great referee, an excellent VAR, Tiago Martins, but the right conditions were not in place for them to do the good work they know how to do. The proof was in the 7th minute, as you saw. What happened, you saw. I’m just reporting what happened on the field,” said the Arsenalista leader to journalists.

Salvador also called for greater protection and for those responsible for refereeing to create the necessary conditions for referees and the VAR to perform their work.

On Saturday, in the 16th round of the Primeira Liga, Benfica earned a point at Pedreira and now has 36 points, and could fall ten points behind leaders FC Porto if the Dragons beat Aves SAD. The team coached by Carlos Vicens did not benefit from Gil Vicente’s draw and remains in 5th place with 26 points, one less than César Peixoto’s team.

Braga and Benfica will face each other again on January 7, 2026, in the semi-finals of the League Cup.

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