Rui Costa wants Varandas kept away from Benfica-Sporting clash | OneFootball

Frederico Varandas should not sit next to Rui Costa in the stadium's VIP box at the Benfica - Sporting match next Friday, December 5th. The Benfica management is expected to take this measure, following what has been happening in recent months in Portuguese football.

Since the start of the season, the three major clubs, represented by their presidents, have been exchanging barbs, especially related to refereeing. The successive statements and speeches have left a tense atmosphere in national football, which is expected to persist in the coming weeks.

Considering that Benfica and Sporting will meet soon for the second time this season, the question arises as to where Rui Costa and Frederico Varandas will sit during the derby. The newspaper Record tried to get an answer and suggests, although not with 100% certainty, that the two presidents are not likely to watch the big match of the 13th round of the Liga Portugal Betclic side by side.

The national press suggests that the most likely scenario is similar to what happened the last time Sporting visited Benfica: the two presidents will be in the same VIP box, but Rui Costa will watch the match from his usual seat, and Frederico Varandas is expected to be a few rows above, along with the rest of the green and white delegation.

The same newspaper also reports that from Sporting's side, there is no issue. The Lions will sit where Benfica indicates, preferring to handle the situation with cordiality, despite the distant relations between the two clubs, resulting from recent events in national football.

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