Benfica presents petition to the Assembly of the Republic to suspend broadcasting rights

Sport Lisboa e Benfica announced that it has presented a petition to the Assembly of the Republic aimed at suspending and reviewing the centralized model for the commercialization of audiovisual rights. The petition was submitted on Friday, August 7, and its first signatory is the club's president, Rui Costa.

In the documentation, Benfica demands solid technical reasoning to justify the continuation of this model, in addition to greater transparency in decisions affecting broadcasting rights. The club expresses concerns regarding the risk of economic and asset value loss associated with this centralized model.

The 'encarnados' argue that the current structure could harm their financial revenue, as the centralization of audiovisual rights is a key factor in generating income for football clubs in Portugal.

This initiative comes in a context where various clubs are questioning the effectiveness of the existing model, which controls the distribution of broadcasting rights rather than allowing individual negotiations by the clubs.

Although the petition has been widely publicized, it is unclear what responses the government or the Assembly of the Republic will provide to the proposal, nor what the next steps will be for Benfica following its submission.

Thus, the historic Portuguese club reaffirms its position in favor of a model it considers fairer, opening the discussion on the management of audiovisual rights in professional football in Portugal.