It was a historic day for FC Porto. After 42 years of Pinto da Costa as president, the Porto members elected a new president this Saturday. André Villas-Boas, former coach of the “blue and whites”, will lead the club’s fortunes for the next four years, after defeating the historic manager.
About three hours after the polls closed, Vítor Baía acknowledged Pinto da Costa’s defeat: “The members are the ones in charge of the club, that’s what they wanted. We have to prepare for the transition.”
The declaration was made when the official results were not yet known – they would only be released many hours later, in the early hours of the morning. Villas-Boas won with 80% of the votes, while Pinto da Costa reached 19.5% and Nuno Lobo did not go beyond 0.2%.
Baía, until now vice-president, highlighted the failure of what he considered to be “the most important person in the history of FC Porto”. Asked about Pinto da Costa’s reaction, Baía stated that it was not a “happy moment”, since “the president has an incredible love and passion for FC Porto”. The still president left the Estádio do Dragão without making any statements.
Defeat was assumed in historic elections in which more than 26 thousand people voted, which more than doubled the previous record, set in 1988 when 10,700 voters decided to re-elect Pinto da Costa.
André Villas-Boas spoke to supporters around 1am on Sunday, declaring that “FC Porto is free again” and thanking the significant mobilization of members that allowed his election as president. “The members, the real owners of the club, dictated the change”, highlighted the former coach, leaving the guarantee that he is ready to “respond with work to the demands” of the fans: “win, win titles and sustain our club for the future ”.
Throughout the day on Saturday, the enthusiasm was palpable, with lots of smiles, and not even the threat of rain kept Porto’s members away.
The day started with a small shock at one of the 44 polling stations. A request to exchange delegates from list A (Pinto da Costa) forced a delay of approximately 25 minutes in the opening of doors. The several hundred people who lined up next to Estádio do Dragão before voting began waited a short time and, around 9:30 am, received the “green light” to begin entering.
This was a common idea among many people, anticipating the strong morning mobilization. Maria arrived in line before the doors opened, having waited more than two hours to put her vote in the ballot box. “I’m enjoying this mobilization, but it took a bit of time. Initially I was pleased to hear that there were 44 polling stations, but I think twice as many were needed”, she lamented, around 1pm.
Wearing an FC Porto shirt, scarf and cap, the “dragona” voted for André Villas-Boas, despite admitting some fear in announcing this to the world. “Yes, I am somewhat afraid of Super Dragons, I’m not going to lie. But, from the conversations I heard while I was in line, it seems to me that the elections will go to André Villas-Boas, despite recognizing that the way he left for Chelsea [em 2010/11] left some hurt that has yet to be healed.”
From the first minutes of the morning it became clear that the voting record was going to be surpassed. In 1988, more than 10,700 members voted for Pinto da Costa’s re-election, with this number being surpassed early in the afternoon, proof of the importance of these elections for the “blue and white” universe. By 1pm, the record had already been broken. At 6pm, more than doubled. As the hours passed, the lines got smaller. Until, around 8pm, some of the tables no longer had any queues.
From list A came accusations that André Villas-Boas disturbed the sporting performance of this season. On the B list side, confidence in victory and satisfaction with the mobilization were expressed. Nuno Lobo, leader of list C, anticipated a re-candidacy in 2028, even before the results were known.
Marta Massada, a doctor at the club and candidate for vice-president on the Pinto da Costa list, analyzed the electoral opponent with elegance, considering that the great mobilization of members can be credited to André Villas-Boas and praising the solidity of the proposals presented.
“In fact, there is another candidate who mobilized a lot of people, a very strong candidate, with a very well-constructed candidacy and solid objectives. I believe that it was Villas-Boas’ candidacy that mobilized all these people,” he stated. And it was all these people who inaugurated a new era in the “blue and white” club, 42 years later.
