FC Porto hit out at Benfica: “They’re implicated in sporting corruption” | OneFootball

FC Porto responded, also through a statement, to Benfica's appeal to the Disciplinary Council for decisions to be made regarding the so-called email case, requesting "sporting sanctions to be applied" to the dragons, after the blue and whites were condemned in the judicial aspect.

In a new attack on their Luz rival, the Porto club emphasizes: "The timing chosen for the publication of the said statement cannot go unnoticed, considering that next Monday, the preliminary hearing will begin in case no. 5340/17.7T9LSB, which is ongoing at the Central Criminal Investigation Court of Lisbon. In this process, Sport Lisboa e Benfica is accused by the Public Prosecutor's Office of committing crimes of active corruption and tax fraud, associated with the implementation of a scheme to manipulate sports results – an investigation that originated precisely from the disclosure of the emails in question."

The full statement from FC Porto:

"Following the statement released today by Sport Lisboa e Benfica, in which that club requests the intervention of the Disciplinary Council of the Portuguese Football Federation regarding the so-called 'Email Case', Futebol Clube do Porto considers it appropriate to clarify the following: The timing chosen for the publication of the said statement cannot go unnoticed, considering that next Monday, the preliminary hearing will begin in case no. 5340/17.7T9LSB, which is ongoing at the Central Criminal Investigation Court of Lisbon. In this process, Sport Lisboa e Benfica is accused by the Public Prosecutor's Office of committing crimes of active corruption and tax fraud, associated with the implementation of a scheme to manipulate sports results – an investigation that originated precisely from the disclosure of the emails in question. It is also important to highlight something that the Sport Lisboa e Benfica statement conveniently omits: the judicial decision to which the club refers. The court expressly found that the emails and their content were entirely genuine, despite considering that their disclosure was not permitted. In the current context, where there are serious concerns related to the rescheduling of matches that remain unresolved, it is strange that Sport Lisboa e Benfica chooses to try to refocus media attention on a process in which the club itself is implicated in matters of sports corruption. The content of the statement released today, despite everything, is not surprising. It reflects a stance that has been translating into a lack of ideas that truly contribute to a serious and necessary debate about the future of football."

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