“We exceeded the limit”: Rui Costa criticized the attitude of Benfica fans in Faro

Benfica’s president said on Tuesday he understands the disappointment of the Reds fans, with whom he shares the sadness, but after the team’s coach Roger Schmidt was challenged in Faro, he is asking for his criticism to be kept in check.

“First of all, I want to say that I perfectly understand and understand the disappointment of the fans at this stage of the championship, at this stage of the year, in a year in which we strived for much more than what we have so far. , and therefore I understand this sadness, because it is the same sadness that I have, and that of the players, and that of the coaches, because we all wanted so much more,” began Rui Costa, speaking on the club’s television channel. “Incarnate” .

National champion Benfica is second in League I with 73 points, seven points less than leader Sporting, with four rounds remaining in the match and the Reds leaving the Farense stadium due to fan protests after A 3-1 win in the Algarve.

“First of all, none of us is immune from criticism when things don’t go as we expect. And when I talk about any of us, I’m talking about the fact that all club professionals are not immune to criticism, and therefore we must respect criticism too. Likewise, I believe that the second time in Faro we exceeded the limit. Our responsibility is to finish the championship with maximum dignity,” he continued.

In this sense, Rui Costa stated that he accepted the responsibility of that time, while refusing to give up the renewal of the championship title.

“I will be here to take on all the responsibilities of the season, as I do every year, but in these four rounds I refuse to give up because the championship is still to be played and, regardless of classification, it is mandatory for Benfica to have four rounds with maximum dignity, this is what we demand from professionals, this is what I demand from the team, as it was in Faro,” he emphasized. And he insisted on his own, calling on fans to show restraint.

“We all have to be prepared for these four rounds, trying to do our best, not giving up at least as long as it is mathematically possible, not being disingenuous and not assuming that it is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve. title (…). Therefore, my call is not that there should be no criticism of the president, the coach, the players, but that this criticism has certain limits and that on Saturday we can all, within .. and off the field, give a good idea of what is Benfica,” he concluded.

On Saturday, in the 31st round of the I League, Benfica hosts fourth-placed Sporting Braga, with trips to Famalican and Rio Ave and a host to Arouca until the end of the championship.

With 12 points in dispute and needing to add two wins to secure their 20th domestic title, Sporting visit Porto on Sunday before hosting Portimonense and then visiting Estoril Praia to finish the league at home. Desportivo de Chavez.”