Varandas, Villas-Boas, Rui Costa, and Salvador arrive at the Summit of the League.

The presidents of the Liga and Liga II leagues are meeting this Thursday at Liga Portugal headquarters for the 16th Presidents’ Summit.

At 9:45 AM, André Villas-Boas, president of FC Porto, appeared at the elevator exit, accompanied by Miguel Ribeiro, president of Famalicão’s SAD (sports corporation). Then, at 9:55 AM, Rui Costa, Frederico Varandas, and António Salvador, presidents of Benfica, Sporting, and Sp. Braga, arrived.

It was like the sky in Porto – drop by drop – that the presidents of the Liga and II Liga arrived at the Liga Portugal headquarters, the giant, illuminated cube in Ramalde, for the XVI Summit of Presidents.

By 9:20 am this Thursday, the building had already received the presidents of Leixões, Feirense, and Lusitânia Lourosa. Shortly after, Reinaldo Teixeira, leader of Liga Portugal, arrived, greeted the journalists, and assured them he would speak after the summit, in the room adjacent to the auditorium.

At 9:45 AM, André Villas-Boas, president of FC Porto, appeared at the elevator exit, accompanied by Miguel Ribeiro, president of Famalicão’s SAD (sports corporation). And at 9:55 AM, Rui Costa, Frederico Varandas, and António Salvador, presidents of Benfica, Sporting, and Sp. Braga, respectively, appeared, cordial and side-by-side.

After their admission, the presidents chatted before entering the auditorium. Between coffees and greetings, it was possible to see, for example, Rui Costa exchanging ideas with Reinaldo Teixeira and Luís Vicente, the Liga Portugal consultant for the centralization process.

In weeks filled with messages and tension, serenity prevails before the “heated” derby at Luz, on the 13th matchday of the League , on Friday (8:15 pm).

Regarding the delegations, André Villas-Boas was accompanied by Tiago Madureira, Rui Costa by Nuno Catarino, Frederico Varandas by André Bernardo, and António Salvador by André Viana.

This summit began shortly after 10 am without the representatives from Santa Clara and Arouca. In his opening speech, Reinaldo Teixeira congratulated the Under-17 World Champions, highlighting the commitment to national athletes. The agenda, without any promise of decisions, will include topics such as infrastructure, centralization of television rights, and changes to the competitive framework.

Although not on the agenda for this summit, the  threat of a strike by APAF  hangs over the meeting. It should be recalled that, on Wednesday night, Liga Portugal described the statement from the association representing referees as “incomprehensible” .