Noronha Lopes slams Rui Costa, calls Benfica a total failure | OneFootball

João Noronha Lopes described Rui Costa's tenure at Benfica as a "total failure". The candidate for the Presidency of Clube da Luz - who recently presented his list - gave an extensive interview to Notícias ao Minuto, where he discussed various topics about the life of the red emblem. During the conversation, he was asked to analyze the four years of leadership of the current top leader of the eagles.

"A total failure of these four years of Rui Costa. He failed from a sporting point of view, from a financial point of view, and from an associative point of view. He did not defend the interests of Benfica," João Noronha Lopes began to explain, then going into detail.

The candidate continued with his analysis: "From a sporting point of view, Benfica does not win in football. Or rather, won one championship title in four. In other sports, the situation, especially in men's, is also disheartening. We won 30% of the titles we contested, even with a large financial investment. In defending Benfica's interests, Rui Costa failed spectacularly, particularly when Benfica was harmed by refereeing and also in his relations with the League and the Federation, supporting Pedro Proença."

"And then there is an issue that seems very important to me, which is the president's distance from Benfica's members. Rui Costa does not visit Benfica's houses. I go to Benfica's houses, I go there, I talk to the members, I've been traveling the country for several months, and I go there to listen to them. The members made hundreds of proposals, some of which I included in my electoral program. I go there and answer the questions. Rui Costa only goes to Benfica's houses during anniversaries and election campaigns," João Noronha Lopes then stated.

The candidate continued his attack, recalling Luís Filipe Vieira's tenure: "Rui Costa, as I said, when he was at Benfica, signed without reading, gave opinions, but practically decided nothing while he was vice-president of Benfica for 13 years. He said he inherited a squad with 100 players in 2021, but I ask, who was the football manager who defined that squad? It was vice-president Rui Costa. And who previously handled Benfica's football? The sporting director Rui Costa."

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