Joao Noronha Lopez, the opponent that Luis Felipe Vieira defeated in the 2020 Benfica presidential election, has already decimated the club’s former leader.

Speaking at this evening’s General Assembly, Noronha Lopez was clear:

Luis Felipe Vieira had already embarrassed us in the Council of the Republic, but I managed to outdo himself. Over the course of several hours, in the two nights our competitors celebrated, Waffer attacked. He put his personal interests above the interests of the club. He once again showed that he was not looking for a way to protect his image. Benfica fans will never forget the completely disgusting moment when he tried to drag with him the greatest symbol of the institution he headed.”

The businessman also lamented that the former president did not have the courage to be present at the grand meeting and turned to Rui Costa: “Mr. President, this is an opportunity not to be a hostage of the past. You have to take responsibility for the disastrous season and cut its course. It needs a strong structure. And an armored bathroom.”

“You have had several occasions to depart unmistakably from Vieira’s legacy. He did not do so with the determination and scope that circumstances required. As long as you let this narrative control you, you risk a reality that holds you hostage to a past we are not proud of. Here, then, is a new opportunity to break with the past once and for all. With all the democratic legitimacy of the overwhelming majority of partners who chose him eight months ago, he said, ending: “For better or worse, count on us, we wish we could count on you.”