FC Porto Election Campaign: André Villas-Boas Calls for Freedom and Transparency

He was surrounded by supporters in the largest concert hall in Porto that André Villas-Boas chose the election campaign for the leadership of FC Porto. At the Super Bock Arena – Pavilhão Rosa Mota, thousands of people expressed to give one last personal “push” to the former coach four days before the club selection.

“Gradually we learned that the path of change at FC Porto is also made by the strength and courage of each one. Fighting against the people who just want to enter the club to practice .Many of you thank me for having the courage to go on.

The former coach’s election campaign lasted more than three months, after the application was announced on January 17. André Villas-Boas says now is the time to “liberate FC Porto from the connections and interests” that have damaged the club so much, stressing that “an unprecedented financial crisis has -never” facing the “dragons”.

“Porto fans, we have entered the final zone. This is your time! Vote for freedom, vote for democracy, vote for a transparent, organized and structured FC Porto, free from the leeches that want to push it into the depths! This is a time of freedom, of dynamism, an unprecedented movement at FC Porto”, said the candidate again.

FC Porto selections take place this Saturday, April 27, at Estádio do Dragão. It is considered the most popular election event in the history of the “dragons”, after, in 1988, more than 10,700 members exercised their right to vote in one of the few victories of Pinto da A challenged coast in 42 years of leadership.

“FC Porto has no owner, it belongs to us”, rejoiced Rui Pedroto, the son of José Maria Pedroto and the future vice-president of the “dragons” if list B wins. Encouraged by this challenge , thousands of people rose to their feet and, together, they sang: “Porto is ours and it will be, Porto is ours until it dies”. Rui Pedroto says that André Villas-Boas’ appeal “spoke the truth and did not hide concerns”, standing up to “criticism and insults”, not “allowing himself to be intimidated” “. “Deceit and deceit are the weapons of the weak”, he said.

António Tavares, the candidate for the presidency of the General Assembly, feels that the club is alive and moving, accusing Pinto da Costa of having managed to campaign – even though he promised not to do so. On April 27, we will not be voting for André Villas-Boas, he emphasizes, but for the future of FC Porto.

“Throughout this campaign we were reading and hearing a lot of things that we didn’t like. One of those things was calling me a traitor and an opponent. FC Porto, it’s just Porto fans helped build it”. Referring to the 50th anniversary on April 25, António Tavares says “there is no fear” in this application, saying that this is the time of “the quiet majority”. “We are running this campaign for them, they must say ‘present’ on the 27th.”

Pinto da Costa is trying to reach his 16th term as club president, but there is strong competition from André Villas-Boas, the coach of the “dragons” in the 2010-11 season. The businessman Nuno Lobo is running again, after already being a candidate in 2020 and having collected 4.91% of the votes.

“Pinto da Costa should stop playing with his partners”

André Villas-Boas was asked about the announcement of the renewal of Sérgio Conceição, forwarded by Pinto da Costa this Wednesday. For the candidate, the moment shows an “act of desperation” on the part of his electoral opponent, asking him to “stop playing with his partners”.

“We are three days away from the elections and we have done enough to make structural decisions that could jeopardize the future of FC Porto,” said André Villas-Boas.

The applicant says that requests for clarification have been sent to Dr. Lourenço Pinto, president of the Board of the General Assembly. Among other things, the candidate wants the presence of Public Security Police (PSP) representatives to be guaranteed at the place where voting takes place.