João Gabriel mocks Rui Costa, says Benfica president is no leader | OneFootball

João Gabriel has once again commented on current events at Benfica and delivered harsh criticism of Rui Costa’s attitude after the Eagles’ defeat to St. Gallen (2-1) in the first leg of the second Europa League qualifying round. The former communications director of the Reds used the social network LinkedIn to analyze the Benfica president’s reaction at the end of the match played in Switzerland.

It should be remembered that, in recent days, Luís Filipe Vieira had also already made his opinion public about the moment being experienced by Benfica, increasing the atmosphere of criticism surrounding Rui Costa’s leadership. In the post, João Gabriel focused on the body language of the Reds’ president, considering that the image conveyed after the final whistle revealed insecurity at a time when the team needed precisely the opposite:

"Leadership is also measured by the ability to control emotions in moments of greatest pressure. Because, in football as in any organization, confidence is contagious. But insecurity is too," he began by writing.

The former Benfica communications chief also argued that a leader sends messages even in silence and pointed directly to the gesture made by Rui Costa at the end of the match: "A leader communicates constantly, even when he does not say a single word, and Rui Costa’s image at the end of the first match against St. Gallen, with his hands on his head, conveyed a profoundly wrong message."

João Gabriel also questioned the impact that behavior may have had on the working group, the coaching staff, and the fans themselves: "If the president shows despair in the very first official match of the season, what message does the dressing room receive? What confidence do the players feel? What calm does he convey to the coaching staff? And what conclusion do the members draw, when they look precisely to the president for the composure they themselves often lack?" he concluded.

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