It’s no surprise to anyone that the name Benfica sells newspapers, and is more likely get people to click on a link. The organization itself is enough to have that type of impact, but then when the Portuguese media is constantly on the attack, it’s like pouring gasoline over a fire.

The average Portuguese football fan loves them some controversy, and with the opportunity to share this drama at the tips of their fingers within seconds, at times, they may not even read the article. I guess the same can be said for most articles circulating around on social media.

For years, Luis Filipe Vieira has been stuck in the middle of the crosshair, and no matter what he did or said, that target has been locked right on him.

From the uproar because vouchers were offered to all match officials at the Estadio da Luz, to the criticism for poor management of the football operations of the club, we’ve heard it all.

Given that 2020 has already thrown us a variety of unexpected scenarios, when it came to the 2020 Benfica Presidential Election, the trend continued.

Not only did we witness the largest voting turnout in the history of the club, but also in the history of any sporting election in the country. Then again, given the magnitude of Sport Lisboa e Benfica, we shouldn’t be surprised.

Leading up to the election, the drama and the controversy started to gain some momentum. The media was presenting a platform, as they should, and then between the candidates, neutrals, and even supporters of our direct rivals, they all took their chance at grabbing a can full of gas and with a spiteful smile on their face, tossed it into the fire and walked away.

Let me just make one thing clear – I don’t agree with the fact that there was not a debate, on the club’s tv channel. I don’t agree with the fact that the other candidates weren’t given air time to present their projects and ideas to the fans and members of the club, on the club’s channel. And let it be known that I’m not a Vieirista as some like to call them, I am a Benfiquista.

I have no interest in going into the details of all the cases and the bulls**t that is floating around about LFV. To be honest, some of it could be true, while all of it could be false, but, will anyone be surprised if all these allegations and accusations die down now that the elections are behind us?

Why is it that everyone is so interested in talking about Benfica, their president, the club’s financial situation, what toilet paper they use in the stadium, etc..? Why is it that our biggest rival announced their financial numbers on the same day of Benfica’s elections, and reported an astronomical deficit of €116M? Maybe knowing that all the attention would be elsewhere? Why does no one crucify their president as they do with LFV for every single decision he makes and doesn’t make?

Let me ask you a question – Given our rivals player sales, performances in European competitions, and the amount of money that the club has taken in, could you imagine what would have been if this was Luis Filipe Vieira presenting these numbers?

The same media outlets spent days talking about how Benfica was on the high limit of what’s allowed for Financial Fair Play, and they happen to know even when a player goes to the bathroom, but ironically they didn’t know about this massive financial hole for the second biggest club in the country? Give me a break!

With the Benfica members having cast their votes, and the decision being made, can we take a break from all the nonsense, and focus on the club and moving forward? Are we able to come together again, knowing that our common interest is Sport Lisboa e Benfica, and regardless of who we did or didn’t vote for, we all should be interested in what’s best for the club?

We know the media is relentless and they won’t take their foot off the gas, but it would be good if Benfica fans could stop enabling them, and maybe realize that behind all of it, there is a serious agenda with very bad intentions.