"We will be vigilant to understand if this type of refereeing criteria will continue"

STATEMENT

Following Benfica's victory away at Alverca (1-2) on Sunday, August 31, in Matchday 4 of the Liga Betclic, the Eagles' general manager for professional football, Mário Branco, spoke to the media.

"Just a quick statement, taking advantage of the break for national teams in September and also taking stock of this first cycle of the season. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the squad, the technical team, and the staff, who, after what was probably one of the shortest, most challenging, and most demanding pre-seasons in Benfica's history, with practically no vacation time, managed to achieve with distinction the first three goals we set for ourselves, which were to win the Super Cup, qualify for the Champions League, and win the Championship games, in this case the three we played. As for today's game [Sunday], it was a difficult game, also on a pitch that, once again, as at Estrela da Amadora, left a lot to be desired. From the moment we were reduced to 10 players, the fatigue from the Champions League game began to show, and obviously, we all know that before a break for the national teams, it is always difficult to have this type of games", declared Mário Branco.

"One thing that concerns us, and that we will be attentive and vigilant about, is whether this type of refereeing criteria will continue throughout the season. At the start of the season, we took care to be at Cidade do Futebol and try to understand what kind of recommendations the new Refereeing Committee had for the rest of the season, and I didn't realize there would be such strict criteria as those used today on this field. We ended up receiving a yellow card for every two fouls we committed. That seems extremely strict and even illogical to me, considering the type of game we played here. I just wanted us all to be aware that we will be vigilant and will be perfectly identified with this type of situation", emphasized Benfica's general manager for professional football.