Rui Costa and Villas Boas to watch Benfica v Porto apart again | OneFootball

Rui Costa and André Villas Boas will again watch the Benfica v Porto clássico from separate seats, continuing a pattern since April 2024. According to Glorioso 1904, the arrangement reflects protocol rather than personal animosity.

Villas Boas has said his first match as Porto president was at Benfica, where he was placed in a different spot than expected. He said Porto then reciprocated, noting he had been put in the sixth or seventh row at Estádio da Luz and that the response involved the third row.

He has also insisted there is no personal antipathy towards Rui Costa, and that there is not yet enough mutual respect for them to sit side by side. He regards the separation as largely symbolic and rooted in tradition, not a direct conflict.

Tensions have still surfaced in public. In October, after Villas Boas commented on Benfica players’ salaries, Rui Costa accused him of lying. Soon after, the Porto president claimed Costa had long been in Sporting’s pocket, remarks Costa later described as abnormal.

The split seating in the tribune is set to continue for this meeting, consistent with recent clashes. It underlines the historical rivalry, while recent exchanges keep fuelling Portuguese football’s flashpoints.

Source: Glorioso 1904