The sporting and financial renewal of FC Porto is the focus of the candidacy for the presidency of the club, André Villas-Boas, the former coach of the main football team, who presented his election program this Wednesday in Alphandegue do Porto.
“I think FC Porto needs a change and I was preparing to be the driver of that change. FC Porto needs to come to terms with its foundations and values, with the fundamental principles of the organization and with all its partners, as well as “To demonstrate new dynamics and strength, as well as a tougher management model. The time has come for FC Porto to enter into a new stage,” said the candidate at the club elections, which are due to take place in April, immediately after the ceremony of unveiling the list. “There is only one port.”
André Villas-Boas aims to implement a “competent, experienced, structured, professional and interventionist” sports management that matches the “greatness and demands” of the Dragons and can optimize assets and create value for the first team and youth. teams.
In addition to creating a scouting department, a performance office and a unified training methodology, the candidate wants a high-performance center for professional teams in Olival, the architectural plan of which will be published shortly, and the costs and financing options for the work will be discussed during the election campaign.
Andre Villas-Boas views the Porto management’s promise to build an academy in Maia with “great concern”, but emphasizes that he will respect the signed contracts.
Filling gaps in training and at senior level in women’s football, as well as laying the foundations for the creation of a futsal department, also figure in the sporting plans of the 46-year-old former coach, who oversaw the Blues and Whites in the 2010/11 season and won four tournaments, including Portuguese First League and Europa League.
“The driving force behind FC Porto is sports management and it has unfortunately disappeared. Through structure we can regain that power. We will have a strict sports management in line with modern times, consisting of people who personify the mystique of the club and others who have experience and a name in the market,” he said.
Financial balance is another of André Villas-Boas’s programmatic axes, who talks about rationalizing costs, structuring and renegotiating debts or optimizing operating cash flows, using initiatives that increase revenues and brand growth.
SAD’s leadership will be comprised of “credible professionals with proven experience, recognized by the market for their competence, merit and success in their sectors of activity”, with “transparency, ethics and good governance as pillars of action.”
Charges for the fixed remuneration of members of the company, currently headed by Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa, will be reduced by more than 50%, while the variable amount will now have a maximum cap of 60% of the fixed amount and a conditional payment. about the positive weights of the financial and sports spheres that cover each employee.
This “open governance model” also entails the creation of a transparency portal that provides “reliable and up-to-date information for members” on the costs associated with athlete transfers and deal structuring carried out by the FC Porto group.
“It is regrettable that three months before the elections, decisions are being made that could jeopardize the future management of the club. Decisions of this importance are only taken when part of the club or one of the participating companies is sold or when accounting movements are made in relation to the revaluation of the assets of the club, such as the Estádio do Dragão. At this stage we are very concerned and await the structuring decisions that the FC will take Porto to better understand and adapt our strategy,” he emphasized.
On the eclectic side, André Villas-Boas is reinforcing the emphasis on youth and the self-sufficiency of the forms without affecting their competitiveness, and promoting amateur sports through a foundation supported by the club’s future foundation.
Greater representation in sports regulatory bodies defines the associative aspect of the candidacy, which guarantees the retention of the majority of the SAD and opens the possibility for FC Porto to found a European Association of Member Clubs.
Modernizing the sale of match tickets through “proportionality indices” guaranteeing clubs’ “equal and fair” access to tickets is another of the most striking proposals of Andre Villas-Boas, who this Wednesday joined businessman Nuno Lobo, an unsuccessful candidate in 2020 . in the election of governing bodies for the four-year period 2024-2028.
Pinto da Costa, 86, has yet to say whether he will seek a 16th consecutive term while he is the leader with the most titles and longevity in world football, first elected as the 33rd president. in a story from the club in April 1982.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.