Benfica this Wednesday denied accusations by the Sports Journalists’ Association, CNID, after refusing questions from a journalist on Tuesday, asking for “respect” and defending itself with the right to hold press conferences.
“The management of press conferences is a right that he has and the exercise of which is his sole responsibility, while giving the floor to everyone present in the room is not mandatory under the rules,” the statement said.
The situation, which CNID complained to UEFA and the Communications Regulatory Authority (ERC), occurred at a press conference for the preliminary match between Inter Milan and Benfica in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday, when the Press Secretary turned down the journalist TVI at the opportunity to ask a question to coach Roger Schmidt.
“Incarnated” remember that they “obey the law” and demand “fairness and respect”, which is “relevant to everyone, of course, and to CNID”, which they criticize for lack of position in relation to other situations, some of which also include TVI and CNN.
“There is no record of outrage from the CNID, when some decide not to even comply with the regulations, cancel conferences and plead silence, violating all the rules of the competition,” the Lisbon club notes, without going into details of criticism.
The CNID ruled against the moment when “the press secretary of Benfica unreasonably refused the journalist’s question”, read the statement.
“The attitude of Benfica, as embodied by the press officer who sat at the table next to coach Roger Schmidt, is wrong, illegal and disrespectful, and therefore follows participation in UEFA and the Regulatory Communications Authority (ERC) to have its legitimacy restored. “,” the statement said on Wednesday.
According to this body, “this situation has been going on for several weeks” and this time it was public and leaves a call “for clubs to respect the law and the media”.