Marco Silva spent years managing in England, most recently with Fulham, and he’s finding Portuguese football a rather different experience now he’s back at Benfica.
That was certainly the message after Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Porto. Silva was unhappy with the refereeing at the Estádio do Dragão, particularly after Clement Lenglet was sent off in the 35th minute for a second yellow card.
The former Fulham manager then went much further. He suggested referees in Portugal can be influenced by what clubs say before and after matches. He even questioned how long he could put up with it. So clearly it has not been easy for him.
Marco Silva points to a “different culture”
Record have picked up Silva’s comments and the reaction to them, with his reference to coming from a “different culture” particularly interesting after so many years working in England.
Asked about Lenglet’s dismissal, Silva said:
“I won’t comment on the sending off. If the club has something to say about the match, I think it should say it.”
“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.”
“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.”
It’s quite the complaint from Silva, and the reference to a different culture inevitably brings his time in England into it.
That doesn’t mean Silva never complained about referees in England of course. Indeed, Record point out that he did so several times. One incident even resulted in around €100k (£87k) in fines.
Still, Silva clearly believes there’s a difference between complaining about individual decisions and what he thinks happens around referees in Portugal.
His suggestion is that clubs can create pressure throughout the week and potentially influence what happens when the match arrives. And that’s a strong accusation after losing the biggest match of his Benfica career so far.
Villas-Boas says it’s frustration after defeat
Former manager and now Porto president, André Villas-Boas wasn’t particularly impressed. Responding to Silva, he put the comments down to the “normal frustration” of somebody who had just lost a clássico.
Villas-Boas said Silva was looking for reasons to explain the result and strongly defended the officials.
“I think it was great refereeing,” he said.
The Porto president also argued his club have themselves suffered decisions which were “difficult to understand”. He then pointed towards the table instead.
“The statistic I know is that Porto have 21 points and seven wins.”
That probably won’t improve Silva’s mood. Benfica left the Dragão beaten 3-1, while Porto maintained their perfect league record.
Silva has now discovered another part of the reality he returned to after leaving Fulham.
Refereeing arguments between Portugal’s biggest clubs can continue for days, with managers, presidents and directors all getting involved. Judging by his comments on Sunday, it’s a culture Silva isn’t particularly enjoying.
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