Pedro Proença resignation? Ex ally of Rui Costa urges Benfica to clarify stance | OneFootball

Former Benfica director Fernando Tavares said in a LinkedIn post that the club should take a firm stance amid controversy at the Portuguese Football Federation involving Pedro Proença.

He recalled that Benfica had endorsed Proença's candidacy, and questioned what justified backing a platform that promised a new era of transparency, independence and credibility.

Tavares argued that events linked to the departure of Duarte Gomes require the club to reassess its position.

He asked whether the original assumptions still hold, or whether developments, culminating in the resignation of the former technical director of refereeing and the referral of facts to the Ministério Público, have changed the political and institutional conditions. He added that members and supporters have the right to that evaluation.

He also addressed Benfica's request for a meeting with the federation, saying that announcing it publicly before it happens raises doubts about the board's objective.

In his view, genuine working meetings are not pre-announced, so the communication sends a political message and prompts the essential question of what the club seeks to achieve.

He concluded that if Benfica believes the federation's leadership has lost credibility, a single meeting is unlikely to satisfy the transparency and accountability it has championed.

He said the club therefore has legitimacy to withdraw that backing if the original conditions no longer apply, and, if it considers credibility compromised, to state this clearly and advocate publicly for Pedro Proença to resign.

Source: Glorioso 1904