The prime minister and the Mayor of Lisbon will join Luís Filipe Vieira’s re-election honor committee to the presidency of Benfica, the newspaper “Expresso” said this Saturday.
The list contains more than 500 names from various areas and different political quarters: the former Minister of Internal Administration of a PS Government, Rui Pereira; PSD deputy, Duarte Pacheco; the CDS deputy, Telmo Correia; the president of the City Council of Seixal by CDU, Joaquim Santos; António Saraiva, president of the Confederação Empresarial de Portugal,
To the newspaper Expresso, the prime minister’s office points out that the support is as a partner of SL Benfica and not as prime minister. The Lisbon mayor’s office also highlights that support is as a partner.
Rui Rio, president of PSD and Catarina Martins, coordinator of Bloco de Esquerda and André Silva, leader of PAN were the only political leaders to react to the inclusion of António Costa in the honor committee. Tones were critical of the prime minister.
“Mix between politics and football? I always thought the mixture was bad ”
The leader of the PSD, Rui Rio, demarcated himself this Saturday from the Prime Minister and the Mayor of Lisbon, António Costa and Fernando Medina, for being part of the honor committee for the re-candidacy of Luís Filipe Vieira to the presidency of Benfica.
“Football is above all emotion and politics above all must be rational”, defended Rui Rio, questioned on the subject by journalists, in Coimbra.
For Rio, political action “should not be dictated by imperatives of an emotional nature or of club sympathy”.
“I always thought the mix between politics and professional football was bad,” he replied, referring to the time when he led the Porto City Council, when, due to his position, he was several times involved in controversy with the president of Futebol Clube do Porto, Pinto da Costa.
Emphasizing that “today there are almost problems of a judicial order involved in this”, the president of the PSD recalled that he has had this position “for many years”.
“When we are in political positions of some importance, in general, we should refrain from mixing these things”, he stressed.
Criticizing António Costa and Fernando Medina, without mentioning their names, Rui Rio stated: “I say that I am a fan of a club with many fans and, therefore, I am a little bit in an advantage position” in relation to a club with less supporters.
“There can be no complicity”
The coordinator of Bloco de Esquerda criticized António Costa this Saturday for being part of the honor committee for Luís Filipe Vieira’s re-election to Benfica’s presidency, arguing that “there cannot be any complicity between politics and business”.
“Knowing today that the Prime Minister thinks it is normal to be part of an honor committee of someone who is one of the biggest debtors of Novo Banco and who is involved in the problem of BES (Banco Espírito Santo) is not well,” said Catarina Martins.
The blockist leader, who was speaking this afternoon in Almada, in the district of Setúbal, during a party ‘rentrée’ session, admitted that football and other passions are all human and acceptable ”, but she stressed that“ to the Prime Minister that what is requested is the duty of reservation ”.
“Nothing can be the same as before and the complicity between politics and business cannot be accepted in this country,” he said.
“Nothing to do with political life”
Concluding the day when the controversy was known, António Costa declined to comment on his inclusion in the honor committee for the re-candidacy of the benfiquista president, Luís Filipe Vieira, arguing that it is an extra political life matter.
“I am not going to make any comment on a subject that has absolutely nothing to do with political life or the functions that I exercise or exercised,” said António Costa.
The prime minister also answered questions from journalists after speaking at the closing of the XIX Congress of the Federation of the Urban Area of Lisbon (FAUL) of the PS, at the Peace and Friendship pavilion, in Loures.
“Freedom of expression is, fortunately, something that exists in Portugal. For my part, I do not make any comment, I have nothing to say about a matter that has nothing to do, ”he concluded.
“Favor someone who is dealing with justice”
The People-Animals-Nature Party (PAN) came out today to criticize the Prime Minister for being part of the honor committee of Luís Filipe Vieira for the presidential elections of Sport Lisboa e Benfica.
“In the case of António Costa’s support to Luís Filipe Vieira, in addition to the obvious ethical problems already mentioned, we have a position in favor of someone who is dealing with justice in cases of corruption, tax fraud, money laundering or receipt undue advantage, and that even the losses of Novo Banco and Caixa Geral de Depósitos will be linked, ”said the PAN leader today.
“There would be no harm in making Costa publicly defend Luís Filipe Vieira’s presumption of innocence, the problem is that with this public gesture of unequivocal support he is giving a certificate of honor, credibility and probity to someone who has already given several proof that you are not worthy of such a certificate ”, according to André Silva.
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