Rogério Azevedo on Benfica elections: Rui Costa’s lead in doubt | OneFootball

Rogério Azevedo commented on Rui Costa’s favoritism – who wants to secure a new signing – to win the elections that will take place for the leadership of Benfica on October 25 of this year. The sports journalist admitted that the current President of the Clube da Luz is the one best positioned to win the elections, but stated that this could change.

“Benfica did not have an Alcochete, but the race for the October elections resembles the race for Sporting’s elections in September 2018. Seven years ago, Frederico Varandas, João Benedito, José Maria Ricciardi, Dias Ferreira, Fernando Tavares Pereira, and Rui Jorge Rego appeared. If we count correctly, there were six candidates,” Rogério Azevedo began in his opinion column in the newspaper A Bola, comparing the Eagles’ elections to those of their Lisbon rival seven years ago.

Next, the sports journalist named the candidates for the presidency of Benfica, pointing out the high number of contenders as a sign of crisis in the Club: “The same for Benfica in 2025: Rui Costa, Luís Filipe Vieira, João Noronha Lopes, João Diogo Manteigas, Martim Mayer, and Cristóvão Carvalho. Six can be seen as a clear sign of democracy. Or of a club divided and in crisis. I lean more towards this possibility.”

Rogério Azevedo continued his reasoning, revealing that Rui Costa is currently the favorite to win the vote: “The incumbent is almost always seen as the strongest candidate for victory. In Benfica’s case, the incumbent is Rui Costa. If the elections were today, he would be the favorite: Super Cup in hand, elimination of Nice, two wins in the first two rounds of the League, and a draw away at Fenerbahçe in the first leg of the Champions League play-off.”

However, Azevedo highlighted Benfica’s busy schedule, which could change the course of the elections by October: “However, by October 25, Benfica’s team will play six league matches (Alverca, Aves SAS, and FC Porto away; Santa Clara, Rio Ave, and Gil Vicente at home), the second leg against Fenerbahçe, and three rounds of the Champions League or Europa League. In other words, regarding Rui Costa, as Banda do Casaco used to sing: today there are clams, tomorrow we don’t know. Today, he seems to be the favorite, tomorrow he may or may not be.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.