The last debate between Rui Costa and João Noronha Lopes before the second round of the Benfica elections ended in an explosive atmosphere, with exchanges of insults that continued even after the end of the broadcast. The confrontation, broadcast this Thursday, was the most tense so far and culminated in Rui Costa calling his opponent a “compulsive liar”.
It all started when Noronha Lopes criticized the hiring of Soualiho Meité, saying that “there could not be more cases like this”. Rui Costa reacted immediately, showing documents and stating that the reports about the player had been made by Pedro Ferreira, the manager who would be part of the Noronha team. “I have four Meité reports here, made by Pedro Ferreira”, he said.
Noronha responded bluntly: “That’s a lie.” Rui Costa retorted: “Don’t call me a liar.” The tone rose and the debate descended into personal accusations.
Near the end, Rui Costa presented a report that, according to him, explained Noronha’s departure from the direction of Manuel Vilarinho. The opponent denied it and accused him again of lying: “It’s a lie, you’re a liar.” Rui Costa insisted: “It’s here in the club’s minutes, don’t call me a liar.”
The most tense moment, however, came after the debate. With the microphones still on, Rui Costa repeated several times: “Don’t call me a liar anymore. You are a compulsive liar.” Noronha replied: “You are a liar.”
This ending… 😭
— Goncalodias17 (@goncalo_diass17)
The elections for the presidency of Benfica take place on Saturday and promise to be one of the most heated ever in the club’s history.
Full debate:
