André Villas-Boas regretted this Tuesday “the attacks” by a “praetorian guard” on an FC Porto fan during the General Meeting (AG) of FC Porto on Monday evening. “I am still overcome with emotions, I will try to respond with the seriousness associated with FC Porto. What happened yesterday was absolutely regrettable and an internal defeat for the governing bodies of FC Porto, who fearlessly and calmly watched to witness multiple attacks and intimidations by a praetorian.” wait for the members of FC Porto,” he told journalists on the sidelines of the Web Summit.

“The images we saw yesterday of a 19-year-old boy, probably disenfranchised, crying and embarrassed by his club, are a reflection of the situation we are experiencing. We are hostage to a praetorian guard that continues to intimidate some FC Porto members, who show that they want to exercise their right to vote, express themselves and be free as they see fit. This essentially needs to end. from a logistics point of view, from an accreditation point of view. There is also a reflection that the Supreme Court itself must make, because yesterday it was also clear that the majority of the effective members of the Supreme Court, including some illustrious public and political figures, are not present,” shot.

The former coach, who led the Dragons to victory in the Europa League in 2011, questioned the passivity of the club’s governing bodies, which watched everything “fearlessly and calmly”: “I sincerely ask the authorities, the Public Prosecutor’s Office , the Ministry of the Interior, to the IPDJ, to the State Secretary for Sports, with an urgent request [as filmagens] of the surveillance cameras of Estádio do Dragão, Dragão Arena, and conduct an investigation into the attacks and barbaric acts that took place last night.”

And he went into detail describing some of the possible irregularities. “From past references that should not be passed on to non-FC Porto members, to a total logistical disorganization, which was clearly reflected in the transfer of a venue unable to accommodate all FC Porto members, to the Dragão Arena. It is a reflection of a decision that the President of the General Assembly Board probably made [tomou], and that I had no idea the number of partners and employees we would have. Employees gathered en masse yesterday because they wanted to express their feelings, and their right to express themselves freely and safely was denied,” he criticized.

Villas-Boas no longer attended the skirmishes. He decided to leave the main meeting when he realized that there were no conditions for holding it. “From the moment a General Assembly is scheduled for a hall that seats 300 people and there are four thousand people there queuing outside to try to get in, and we suddenly move to the Dragão Arena, how do you want it done?” of those partners? Then I decided to leave. There were absolutely no conditions for holding a General Assembly where the members’ votes were counted by eye and by eye. Especially with measures where there is no regulation at registration, where bracelets are passed from one side to another, where there are moments of obvious intimidation”he explained, placing the responsibility for the decision back on the President of the General Assembly Board, who decided not to summon the authorities to be present at the Dragão Arena.

However, FC Porto has already responded by condemning the attacks on members.

“When I have put together teams, an election manifesto worthy of FC Porto, I will introduce myself”

For the former coach, the situation is much higher than the subject of a possible candidacy for the position that Pinto da Costa has held since 1982: “I speak as a member of FC Porto, confronted with what I saw yesterday and with the images of a member of 19 years old who cry heartlessly, apart from the attacks we have all witnessed, with their sense of shame for the club. It is with this feeling as an employee that I speak to you, and without discussing potential candidacies here. What is happening What happened yesterday is a defeat for FC Porto and I am very sorry that this happened.”

Villas-Boas, who has taken differing positions on the club’s management and has already been speculated to be a candidate for next year’s elections. The euphoric way he was received by the AG makes him even more eager to continue with his candidacy. “I cannot remain indifferent to the support I feel. Probably, submitting my candidacy is almost like completing a formality. I just want to take safe, strong, judicious and transparent steps, supported by rigorous, highly qualified and credible teams. That’s everything FC Porto deserves. When I have gathered all the teams and drawn up an election manifesto worthy of what an institution worthy of FC Porto deserves, I will present myself”, he replied.

According to him, the extraordinary General Meeting scheduled for the 20th, after the interruption of Monday’s main meeting, should be limited to the presentation of the FC Porto membership card and the corresponding citizen card, “in the most orderly and secure manner possible so that people can freely express what they think about the proposed amendment to the articles of association.”

What was on the agenda for the AG’s vote?

Even before the AG’s suspension, Pinto da Costa previously addressed members to speak out against three of the most controversial changes proposed by the working committee established within the Supreme Court. Among them: the election date change, which could shift from April to June, taking effect in 2024; the possibility of electronic voting and the requirement of two continuous years as a member in order to vote in election events; and the permission of the governing bodies, directly or through an intermediary, to do business with the club or with a company in which the club has a dominant influence, as long as the business is in the ‘manifest interests of the club’. “or has obtained a “prior favorable advice from the Fiscal and Disciplinary Council”.