A formal complaint has been lodged against the president of Portuguese football club Benfica, Rui Costa, alleging he used institutional communication channels for election campaigning ahead of a presidential vote.
Noronha Lopes announced he would file the formal complaint with the president of Benfica’s General Assembly. Lopes asserts that a message sent by Costa constituted “electoral propaganda content disguised as institutional communication.”
Costa currently leads the Lisbon-based club and is a candidate for List G in the ongoing presidential elections. The message in question was dispatched on Thursday to the presidents of Benfica’s numerous supporters’ clubs.
The communication explicitly urged the club’s fan association leaders to mobilize supporters for Costa’s campaign. It also referenced a “second round” of the elections.
The message, distributed to the supporters’ club presidents, stated: “We send this special message from Rui Costa, candidate for President of Sport Lisboa e Benfica. We thank you for your tireless effort and dedication, as well as that of your governing bodies. Today, we count on you again. Let’s mobilize family, friends, and neighbors to reach the mark of 100,000 voters next Saturday. Thank you. Thank you also for your work on the 25th and now also next Saturday, in the 2nd Round of these elections. The Candidacy ‘Only Benfica Matters’.”
The message was accompanied by a video.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_y477P7XpU]