Marco Silva hits out at Portuguese refereeing culture after Benfica lose to Porto

Marco Silva has questioned the refereeing culture he has encountered since returning to Portugal following Benfica’s 3-1 defeat to Porto.

The former Fulham manager was frustrated after Clement Lenglet received a second yellow card in the 35th minute at the Estádio do Dragão, leaving Benfica to play most of the clássico with ten men.

Rather than focusing solely on the dismissal, Silva suggested the wider environment surrounding referees in Portugal differs significantly from what he experienced during his years working in England.

Speaking after the defeat, Silva initially declined to discuss Lenglet’s red card directly, saying Benfica could address the incident at club level if necessary.

He then made a broader point about his adjustment since leaving English football.

“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 said.

“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.”

Record highlighted that Silva was hardly silent about refereeing decisions during his years in England. The Portuguese coach received several punishments during that period, including fines totalling around €100,000 (£87,000) following one incident.

His latest argument, however, appears to concern what he sees as sustained pressure being placed on officials around matches rather than individual refereeing mistakes.

Porto president André Villas-Boas responded by describing Silva’s comments as the “normal frustration” of a manager following a clássico defeat.

Villas-Boas strongly defended the officiating and said: “I think it was great refereeing.”

He also argued Porto have previously been on the receiving end of questionable decisions before pointing towards his club's results instead.

“The statistic I know is that Porto have 21 points and seven wins,” Villas-Boas said.

Porto's 3-1 victory maintained their perfect league record, while Silva was left dealing with defeat in the biggest domestic fixture of his Benfica tenure so far.

The exchange also illustrates one of the differences Silva believes he has encountered since leaving Fulham and returning to Portuguese football, where refereeing debates involving the country's biggest clubs can extend well beyond the final whistle.

Silva must now move Benfica forward after a damaging clássico defeat while the debate surrounding his comments is likely to continue in Portugal.

His bigger challenge will be ensuring frustration over refereeing does not distract from Benfica’s response on the pitch as they attempt to close the gap on Porto.