Pinto da Costa recalled the days when he was president of the League in 1995 on the Irony of Fate program and made comparisons with today.
The period of tenure of the President of the League: “It didn’t add anything to my career. I was the president of the League, but I went against my will. It was deadlocked, the association was organizing championships, and the clubs wanted it to become the League. For this, they created an autonomous body to organize the championships, but there was no mutual understanding between the League, the federation and the associations that gave the federation votes. There was a proposal from the associations that if I were the president of the League, they would transfer the organizational rights to the League. Naturally, faced with this and under pressure from all the clubs, I agreed, although with the preliminary condition that I would only be one semester and that I would leave if the championship was going well. And so it was. “
The importance of club presidents in the League: “We organized championships, it was a huge responsibility because I replaced the greatest League president of all time, Valentim Loureiro. I also enjoyed his support, the leadership of the league itself was not formed by people appointed by the clubs, as it is today, but the presidents of the clubs themselves. It was very easy, a combination of effort, common interests and friendship. We have normalized the organization of the championship, which continues today. Manuel Damasio, who was President of Benfica, Pimenta Machado, President of V. Guimarães, Rui Alves, President of Nacional, Fernando Pedrosa, President of V. Setúbal “.
Differences for today: “Since the League was formed by presidents, it worked in the interests of the clubs themselves, it was not seen as a business community. Today the League is not dealing with the problems of clubs that it does not solve. An example of how the league is more active and with the same more active federation, it would be unthinkable that there were no spectators in football when they are in cinemas and theaters. It would be impossible. The people who participate in the league are nominated by the clubs, but without being presidents, they do not have the responsibility that any president has, nor the power in clubs that any president has, nor the need to solve problems. At that time, they all had the same motto: they managed to solve all the problems. Now the League is thinking about business, it is about the centralization of rights, I have never really understood what kind of interests these are, like those of a federation. They do something behind the backs of the clubs. We have a case with the secretary of state where football saw Five terrible moments came when I was interviewed in which he said that he was concerned about the centralization of television rights. This is what, if it happens, will happen in 2028. When the person in charge of sports has to solve a case that relates to 2028, I am surprised, but this is what it is. There are so many problems that I should be interested in solving … “
Manuel Damasio’s succession: “At the time when I was president of the League, not because of my merits, but because of everyone on my list, it was possible to work together with friendship and, above all, with great independence, with the openness of the established government. my initiative, and since I took the initiative to spend only one term, it was Manuel Damasio who replaced me. There were no clubs against clubs, and there was no one stirring up discord, only then could the federation give us the organization of the tests, which are still being tested today. “
