A former candidate for the presidency of Portuguese football club Benfica has publicly accused current president Rui Costa of dishonesty and poor leadership, reigniting a long-standing rivalry over the club’s direction.
Francisco Benitez, who challenged Costa in the 2021 club elections, issued a sharp rebuttal on Tuesday to a statement Costa made Monday. Costa had claimed that during the elections “nobody wanted to intervene” in the club.
Benitez responded that Costa “either has serious memory problems, or is, once again, lying.” He stated he ran against Costa in 2021 because he believed Costa would be a “bad president,” asserting that “time proved him right.”
Benitez criticized what he called the “fairy tale” of Costa’s ascent from a ball boy to president. He emphasized that “Benfica is not a Tony Carreira song,” implying the club’s leadership requires more than sentimentality.
While acknowledging Costa as an “excellent person” and an “extraordinary player,” Benitez maintained that Costa “will never be a great president.”
Benitez further argued that Benfica has become “stopped in time,” observing its “direct adversaries evolve.” He concluded his statement by asserting, “The results speak for themselves.”