Benfica hosted Estrela da Amadora last Saturday. The Eagles won, but they didn’t convince, and the disbelief in the hearts of the fans has not yet disappeared. But the humble football encounter was full of controversy. Roger Schmidt was welcomed back with a loud and harmonious cacophony. Nothing new. The Eagles were once again mocked (pardon the term). Nothing new. The most distinctive ingredient in this recipe of controversy there Luz was someone else and was announced the day before the game.

Joao Mario, the other main target of the protesting fans, asked to leave the club and was not called up, much to the delight of the fans. This was the first good management move by Roger Schmidt since his arrival at Benfica. Or maybe not. It is somewhat understandable for a coach to let go of a player who is leaving. If he is not part of the group, it is logical for the group to start working without him.

Not a captain. Whether he is a good captain, or Joao Mario. The captain cannot be the first to abandon ship and take refuge. And you can never count on the complicity of the helmsman. As long as you are a Benfica player, you have to be committed and committed. Right? It is one of the hypotheses. If not, the main question is: how can he be the captain of the team?

But maybe it was. Maybe it was left to protect the group from being at the exit door. Then another question arises, no less problematic: does the organization need protection from one of its leaders? Maybe it doesn’t. Who knows, Joao Mario didn’t play because the club’s “structure” decided it was better to protect his physical safety. Don't compromise on your sale..

It's a hypothesis. But the question it raises is no longer fun: is it really urgent to sell the captain? Is there a lack of money? Or will Joao Mario's continuity, if the sale does not happen, be a problem in the dressing room? In which case the question returns: how can he be captain? But wait, it may be none of this.

Perhaps his absence from the call-up was of little significance. Perhaps Roger Schmidt has weighed everything in the balance and reached the conclusion that overall he is not worthy of being called up. Another problematic question – you guessed it – is: why was Joao Mario the starter and captain in the first two rounds? The player so essential to Roger Schmidt is not even in the squad while he is still a Benfica player?

The range of possible questions is wide. Which is the worst? I don’t really know. I know that none of them are good. That’s not to say that João Mário was a problem. By the way, I remember the great Raúl Solnado jokingly telling about his trip to the doctor. He says that at one point, the doctor listened to him with a stethoscope and asked him to cough several times (the normal procedure). The doctor then decided that the patient’s problem was the cough.

Of course, that wasn’t the case. The cough was a symptom, in this case promoted by a doctor. Just like João Mário, this wasn’t a problem, it was a symptom – and it wasn’t promoted by a doctor either, but by a German engineer. As is the custom at Benfica (again, pardon the term), the “problem” will be solved again. In fact, only one symptom will be treated – which could have been avoided – and the problem will remain. At least until October 2025.

To paraphrase Sophia de Mello Brenner Andersen, “Forgive them, Sven, for they know what they are doing.” Oh, and they know.

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