The Zerozero journalist was the victim of verbal attacks by the Benfica technical team at the end of the Sporting-Benfica futsal match, but the club has already contacted the site, the publication’s director told Lusa this Monday.
“At the end of the press conference, our journalist asked a question about switching to defense” in the game in which Sporting beat Club da Luz 4-2, and “the technical team in the room went” to meet him halfway and “ A terrifying pose,” summed up Luis Paulo.
The official added that Benfica had already contacted online media and expressed an “understanding” position on the matter. Although no complaints have been received by the Union of Journalists (UJ), the situation has already been resolved between the Zero-Zero management and the union structure, he said.
The Zerozero website states that “the incident brings disrepute to the name of the Luz institution and can only merit the absolute disapproval of the administration and information department” of the name.
According to the publication, everything happened in the pavilion of Povoa de Varzim, “minutes after the press conference of Mario Silva, the coach of Benfica.”
The news site recalls that Sporting won 4-2 to win the trophy, but the move that gets people talking was Tynan, who left the bench, invaded the area and cut off the embodied counter-attack after about a minute and a half. from the very end, at the time when Merlin began to complain.”
Now, “at the end of the match, Zerozero, who was present at the match site, immediately published a chronicle with a hint of the match” and “on the cover of the match is a photograph of Tynan celebrating the first goal.”
After the game, Benfica coach Mario Silva spoke at a press conference, answering questions “respectfully and expressing his point of view,” according to a note published on ZeroZero.
“The moment the press conference ended and the cameras turned off, Benfica technical staff standing at the back of the press center approached the ZeroZero journalist and demanded an explanation as to why the cover photo was of Tynan, the player involved in the scandal and who was even nicknamed “vandal” and “fraudster”,” the site reports.
The journalist tried to explain the reason for the photo – “and this is exactly what Zerozero was trying to convey to Mario Silva’s deputies, who were not particularly interested in hearing it.”
Meanwhile, the technician, “who was already heading towards the exit, realizing what was happening in the back of the room, stopped next to the door and joined in the verbal attack”, taking advantage of the situation to “utter phrases like: why This is why you asked this erroneous question”, ” you promoted a crook” or “you have a bad character”, reports nulzero.
The publication also emphasizes “the correct position of Benfica’s press officer, Rui Mendes, who, at the first sign of confusion, sought to calm nerves and remove the Eagles’ technical team from the scene.”
Journalism is “facing its defining days, and Zero Zero will continue to treat it with the care it requires of us. Always thinking about our thousands of readers,” he concludes.