Sports law expert on Rui Costa at Benfica: Impact at all levels | OneFootball

Lúcio Miguel Correia, professor and specialist in Sports Law, commented on the case of Rui Costa, President of Benfica. In an interview with Antena 1, he made statements about the situation that has dominated the national press this Tuesday, October 7.

"It seems to me that there is no doubt that there is no issue of money laundering. I don't think there is any concealed capital here or any attempt to bring money into Portugal through a club's accounts. Even Benfica's own statement already mentions that it was not received. Furthermore, there is also no attempt to introduce funds illicitly. The money, supposedly, was under the aforementioned transfer", the specialist began to explain.

Lúcio Miguel Correia continued: "From a criminal point of view, we are probably looking at a provisional suspension of the process. From a sporting perspective, and considering that the explanations have been given, I don't think that either the SAD itself or President Rui Costa himself has any kind of issue," he began by saying.

"I admit that it could, obviously, result in a fine, considering the rules regarding the violation of restrictive measures concerning the suspicion of money laundering crimes, and given the existing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, a fine could be applied," he added, before concluding.

"But it is a fine after which the Public Prosecutor's Office itself will propose the provisional suspension of the process. The case will eventually die out and will not have any other repercussions at the sporting level. That is what it seems to me based on what I have been able to ascertain," concluded Lúcio Miguel Correia, stating that it is very unlikely the case will have major consequences for Rui Costa or for Benfica.

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