“That on Saturday, on and off the pitch, we can give a good image of what Benfica is”

STATEMENTS TO BTV

The President of Sport Lisboa e Benfica, Rui Costa, says that no one at the club is immune to criticism, but he appeals to members and fans “not to go beyond certain limits”.

“There are four more rounds to go and I'll be here at the end of the Championship to take on all the responsibilities of the season, as I do every year,” said the President in a statement to BTV on Tuesday, April 23.

Rui Costa also stressed his “refusal” to “throw in the towel” as far as the fight to win the National Championship is concerned, as long as it is mathematically possible, and declared: “It's mandatory at Benfica that you do the four rounds with the utmost dignity.”

“First of all, I'd like to say that I fully understand the sadness and frustration of the fans at this stage of the Championship, in a year when we were aiming for much more than what we've achieved so far, so I fully understand that sadness, because it's the same sadness that I have, that the players have and that the coaches have. We all want much more”, said Rui Costa.

“Above all, none of us is immune to criticism when things don't go the way we want them to. And when I say none of us, I mean everyone who works at the Club, all the Club's professionals, no one is immune to criticism, so we have to respect and accept criticism. But I also believe that for the second time, now in Faro, we've gone beyond the limits, and I'm making an appeal. There are four rounds to go and I'll be here at the end of the season to take on all the responsibilities of the season, as I do every year. But I refuse to throw in the towel with four rounds left to play. Regardless of the standings, it's mandatory at Benfica to play the four rounds with the utmost dignity. That's what we ask of our professionals, that's what I ask of the team, as we did in Faro,” said the President.

“So we all have to be prepared for these four games, trying to do the best we can, not throwing in the towel, at least as long as it's mathematically possible [to win the league], not being hypocritical, assuming that it's getting harder and harder to win the title. But it's our responsibility to finish the season with the utmost dignity. The appeal I make - and I'm not saying that you cannot criticize the President, the coach or the players - is that criticism should have certain limits, that's what I ask, and that on Saturday we all can, on and off the pitch, give a good image of what Benfica is," concluded Rui Costa.