Marco Silva Hints at Early Exit from Benfica Amidst Refereeing Controversy
The Portuguese manager expressed frustration with officiating after Benfica's loss to Porto, suggesting he may not continue his tenure.
Marco Silva, the former manager of Fulham and Everton, has indicated that he might leave his new role at Benfica just three months after taking charge. Silva's comments came after his team suffered a 3-1 defeat against rivals Porto, a match marked by a controversial red card for defender Clement Lenglet before halftime.
Silva, who took over at Benfica after leaving Fulham at the end of last season, voiced his disappointment with the officiating in the match. "I don't know if I'll be able to continue like this until the end of the season, because I come from a different culture," Silva stated. "Here, unfortunately, you can influence referees before matches, after them and during the week, and sometimes it works. I'm not going to go down that route."
Benfica currently sits second in the league table, five points behind Porto following their first loss of the season. Silva's tenure began after Alvaro Arbeloa took over at Fulham, whose team is currently 19th in the Premier League standings after five games.
This is not the first time Silva has publicly criticized refereeing. Last season, he was fined £90,000 and received a one-match touchline ban for his remarks following Fulham's loss to West Ham. At that time, he described the referee's decisions as being "at a very low level" and noted a pattern of unfavorable calls when referee John Brooks was involved.
In contrast, Porto's president, Andre Villas-Boas, praised the referee Miguel Nogueira's performance in the recent match, stating, "I think it was great refereeing."