Sporting’s rival keeps playing the victim, claims referees favour the Lions | OneFootball

Sporting’s rival complains that the Lions, led by Frederico Varandas, have been favored by refereeing decisions

Rui Costa, president of Benfica and candidate for the club’s presidency, explained that he will not respond to the words of Frederico Varandas, Sporting’s top official, but made serious statements, accusing the Lions of being favored by refereeing decisions.

"I want a healthier Portuguese football, but I don’t want Benfica to be trampled on, and right now that’s how I feel about Benfica. There are very obvious things, there are games with clear evidence and always in the same direction. Benfica obviously cannot be blind or have its eyes covered, just watching what is happening. What happened in the Cup final is too significant for there not to be measures to improve Portuguese football," he said to NOW channel.

Rui Costa assured, "I am not accusing A, B, or C of benefiting," but rather "reporting evidence," pointing to the solution: "I want the Refereeing Council, the Federation, and the League to observe. To understand what is happening. But I don’t want benefits for Benfica, I want matches to be contested on the pitch, that’s how it should be, and that’s not what we have been witnessing."

Asked about the audios released in 2024/25, accusing Sporting of "dominating Portuguese football", Rui Costa assured: "These were not debatable cases, they were clear and obvious. Benfica spoke out at the time and that night was outraged. We were coming from the Cup final, from a penalty against Arouca at home, considered a penalty with the head, and from a Santa Clara-Sporting match, with a very clear penalty against Sporting in the title decision, three or four rounds before the end of the championship."

"I don’t know if it was to benefit Sporting or to harm Benfica, I felt harmed. This Cup match… it’s as if I went into the Cosme Damião Museum and had the Cup taken away from me. But I’m not accusing anyone individually, I’m accusing the national football organization. Do I think Sporting is currently being favored? I think so! I don’t know if it’s because they dominate, I tend to trust people and I hope I’m not wrong," he added.

"Shall we discuss the Estoril match? Was it a penalty? Was it offside? Whoever says Sporting’s goal was not offside has to explain Sporting’s goal a year earlier that knocked us out of the Portuguese Cup, exactly the same. We want explanations. Benfica wants to compete for the championship on the field. The Estoril match shows that Sporting was favored. The Refereeing Council has to respond to this. The referee of the Cup final said they mourned the Cup final, now they have to mourn Estoril as well, it was the same referee," he concluded.

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