Is speaking about a person or a group, by way of criticism or expressing an opinion that is not intended to disparage, considered backbiting, and is backbiting confined to an individual or a group?

Prohibited backbiting is when a person mentions something about his brother that the latter dislikes. If what is said about him is true, then it is backbiting. If it is not true, then it is a slander (buhtan). A person's statement, "I do not like listening to a specific person," is not backbiting if no reason is mentioned. However, if he justifies it by saying, "because his style does not appeal to me," this is considered backbiting if the intention is to criticize the clumsiness of his style or the weakness of his language. But if the intention is to prefer one style over another (e.g., scientific over literary), then it is not considered backbiting. As for saying, "the performance of this team was poor," this is considered backbiting if they are known, because they dislike that. It is better for a Muslim to guard his tongue from what is not beneficial.