Benfica fan group seeks details of new president’s business deals
The fan group asked the club's Supervisory Board for clarification on the positions of Benfica's current president in companies that have done business with the club.
The “Servir o Benfica” movement on Monday asked the club’s Supervisory Board for clarification on the positions of Rui Costa, the current president, and his son Filipe in companies that have done business with the club.
In the request, to which Lusa news agency had access, the movement states that their doubts, which involve the companies Footlab and Ksirius Football Management, “are shared by “hundreds of members”.
In the document, the signatories guarantee that the Footlab brand is owned by Rui Costa “through one of the several companies in which he is a shareholder” and that Filipe Costa, his son, is CEO of Footlab and an employee of the company Ksirius Football Management, a position he has held for four years and seven months”.
The movement indicates that Ksirius Football Management publicly informs that it currently acts as an agent for 10 sportsmen who currently have contracts with Benfica” and states that Filipe Costa participated in the presentation of several of them, “having himself shared on his social networks photographs proving his participation as an intermediary, for example at the presentation of the athlete Caroline Vanslambrouck”.
The “Servir o Benfica” movement alludes to a possible violation of article 44 of Benfica’s statutes, that “the members of the governing bodies cannot, directly or indirectly, establish commercial or service provision relationships with the club and companies in which it has a relevant participation, even if through an intermediary, being considered for these purposes, namely, the spouse, ascendants and descendants”.
On Friday, Rui Costa, until then vice-president, took over the leadership of Benfica, after Luís Filipe Vieira suspended his duties as president, after he was detained as part of an investigation involving business and financing of over €100 million, with losses for the state and some companies.
Luís Filipe Viera is under house arrest pending payment of a bail bond of €3 million, on suspicion of several economic-financial crimes.
In the “Red Card” operation, which involves three other suspects, Luís Filipe Vieira is indicted for abuse of trust, qualified swindle, forgery of documents, money laundering, tax fraud and abuse of information.
