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Despite André Villas-Boas having won last Saturday’s elections with more than 80% of the votes, the new president of FC Porto is still “blocked” by the defeated structure. According to information collected by PÚBLICO, the “white smoke” could happen this Thursday, if the new financial administrator, José Pereira da Costa, manages to start his duties. For this to happen, you will have to wait for someone to make the place available, something that has not yet happened.
O new leader of the “dragons” desperately wants to access critical documents that will allow them to start preparing the next season and the financial future of the club, but it has not yet been possible to find out about the situation of the “dragons”, fearing that, in the worst case scenario, just take over Sociedade Anónima Desportiva (SAD) of FC Porto at the end of the month. After the inauguration, a ceremony anticipated for May 7th, it will take at least 21 days until the general meeting of shareholders can take place, which will result in the taking of power.
“We can already consider it a victory the 7th of May, thanks to Doctor Lourenço Pinto and his diligence, we managed to bring things forward a few days. It’s not a great victory, because in a situation like this, especially with such an impressive triumph, the process should be accelerated”, criticized André Villas-Boas, this Wednesday at the Dragão Arena, before the fifth game of the final of the championship of women’s volleyball that confirmed FC Porto’s fourth championship in the sport. “There are very hot topics to resolve, a huge treasury problem that needs to be addressed as soon as possible,” he continued.
This Thursday morning follows a new meeting between the elected board and the “blue and white” administration, the second with a view to the transition of power and the transfer of important dossiers for the future of the club. For André Villas-Boas, The victory in the elections was just the first step in a long journey that will last for weeks, with several hot topics on the table – many decided days before the elections. The commercial exploration deal signed with Ithaka for the next 25 years will be one of the most urgent, as well as the analysis of the construction of the FC Porto academy in Maia decided by Pinto da Costa.
In addition to financial issues, there is also a need to look at the sporting aspect. 48 hours before the elections, Pinto da Costa renewed the contract to Sérgio Conceição for four years, with André Villas-Boas needing to make a decision about the continuity – or not – of the coach. It is important to remember that with the former coach’s victory comes a remodel of the structure of professional football, with the entry of a new sporting director (Andoni Zubizarreta) and also the creation of the role of director for professional football (Jorge Costa). During the campaign, Villas-Boas only said that he would sit down with Conceição after the elections, in order to define himself the continuity of the coach at the club.
“In the other clubs there were immediate dismissals, there were general assemblies to dismiss the governing bodies that were scheduled in advance, in this case there is no and I see no reason whatsoever”, he lamented. André Villas-Boas.
Hugs to Pinto da Costa
This Wednesday’s volleyball game was also marked by a fraternal moment between Pinto da Costa and André Villas-Boas. Just like of what I had done last Sunday in the derby against Sporting, the new president once again watched the game from the stands. At the start of the game, the historic manager called his successor, inviting him to watch the match from the Dragão Arena stand. André Villas-Boas agreed to go up to greet Pinto da Costa, hugging him and exchanging a few words. The moment was recorded by the cameras of Porto Canal, the station that broadcast the game live, becoming viral on social media.
André Villas-Boas won the elections of FC Porto with more than 80.28% of the votes — surpassing Pinto da Costa’s list in all 44 polling stations. He thus became the 34th president in the club’s history, following a historically well-participated vote (26,876 members made a point of voting). The winning list (B) obtained 21,489 votes. The Pinto da Costa (A) list stood at 5224 (19.52%). And C, owned by businessman and professor Nuno Lobo, only had 53 (0.2%).
The inauguration, originally scheduled for the 12th of May, was brought forward to next Tuesday, the 7th. The ceremony will start at 12pm at Estádio do Dragão and will mark the testimony of Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa, more than 42 years after taking over the club’s destiny, in April 1982.
