Rui Costa hits back at accusations, warns of Benfica election meddling | OneFootball

Those responsible for Rui Costa's candidacy in the Benfica elections come to the defense of the president of the Encarnados

The people responsible for Rui Costa's candidacy in the Benfica elections have come to the defense of the leader, regarding the investigation of the Central Department of Investigation and Penal Action (DCIAP), in which the president is suspected of violating European legislation, facing a sanction for allegedly supporting Russian interests, by receiving 70,000 euros from Lokomotiv for Germán Conti.

"The “Only Benfica Matters” candidacy regrets the desperate use of a situation that would be nothing more than a news footnote for an obvious interference in the electoral process of Sport Lisboa and Benfica", can be read in an official statement.

"Wanting to directly involve Rui Costa in a detected and overcome situation, respecting the doubts raised afterwards in the process, is to go beyond the limits of reason", admits the list of the current Encarnado president, ensuring it is "A situation not detected at any point in the administrative process, from FIFA to the Bank, from the club's Services to the other participants, promptly reversed with the suspension of the contract and the non-acceptance of subsequent payments that, being due to the Club, would be conditioned by the sanctions to Russia".

"Wanting to mix in a news story Rui Costa, Russia and justice is to go beyond all the limits of opportunism in an electoral moment. Therefore, our Club, which has proudly counted on great Ukrainian professionals in its main football team: Roman Yarenchuk, between 2021 and 2023, Anatoliy Trubin, since 2023, and Georgiy Sudakov, since the beginning of this season", they point out, speaking of "opportunism in an electoral moment".

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