The heart of a great football club beats strongest in its members. This week, Benfica laid out the rulebook for its upcoming elections, a critical moment for its future. The club’s leadership revealed the detailed plan for voting, candidate hopefuls, and even a possible second round. These new rules, handed over to the General Assembly Board, received a nod from the Board of Directors. Members will vote on them, along with the club’s accounts, on September 27.
At its core, this election framework rests on three main ideas. First, it pushes for every single member to have their say. It offers two ways to vote: in-person for those on mainland Portugal, and online for members in the Autonomous Regions and abroad. This choice aligns with advice from a certification body and club statutes. Second, the rules boost how the whole election process is checked and audited, making it super clear. Finally, it promises all candidates fair airtime on club media.
Who Can Vote and Lead?
Choosing the General Assembly Board, Board of Directors, Fiscal Council, and Remuneration Committee is a serious affair. These elections are set for 2025. All members who can vote, are of legal age, have been members for over a year, have paid their dues, and are in good standing, can cast their ballot. Club branches also get a say. Voting happens by secret ballot, choosing full lists of candidates for each club body. Each voter gets one vote for each body, carrying the weight their membership grants. The General Assembly Board must make sure voting happens everywhere members are.
The General Assembly Board runs the show. They call the elections, tell candidates what paperwork they need, and oversee the entire process. They decide where voting stations go. For those far away, they provide the link for online voting. This board also looks into any complaints and clears up rules. They will publish a full election calendar. This includes when elections are announced, the actual voting day, and when candidates must submit their paperwork. The calendar also lists physical voting spots and the electronic voting link. The club will announce the elections widely. This means on Benfica-owned media, in club houses and branches, and by email and SMS to members. It will also appear in two national daily newspapers, as required by the statutes. An outside company will watch over everything to keep it fair.
Election Day and Beyond
The first round of elections is scheduled for October 25, 2025. If no list gets more than half the votes, a second round takes place. The General Assembly Board will set this date when they call the elections. It must happen within 15 days of the first round.
Candidates have until 6 PM on October 10, 2025, to submit their lists at the club headquarters. A single candidacy can put forward lists for one, two, or all three main bodies. They must name candidates for every position mentioned in the statutes. Each candidacy must also pick a main representative. This person will be the contact for all election matters, providing full details and an email address. For integrated candidacies (those running for two or three bodies), the rules treat them as one single candidacy. Each list needs the support of members representing at least 10,000 votes, as per the 2025 statutes. If it’s an integrated candidacy, this 10,000-vote minimum applies to all lists combined.
The General Assembly Board has 36 hours to decide if a candidacy is accepted. If they reject one, they must explain why. If there are small mistakes, candidates get 24 hours to fix them. After all checks, the board will publish the accepted and rejected lists. They will also assign a letter to each accepted list, in alphabetical order based on when they were submitted. These approved lists will go up on the official club website and club media. The election campaign officially kicks off on October 14, 2025.
The Remuneration Committee is elected together with the Board of Directors. Its list must be part of the Board candidacy. It doesn’t matter if that candidacy runs for other bodies or not. This list is simply an attachment to the Board of Directors candidacy.
Watching the Process Unfold
Every candidacy will have a main representative. They can also name one main delegate and one substitute for each voting table. This must happen at least three days before election day. The substitute steps in if the main delegate can’t make it. Delegates must be members who can vote and show their member card and ID. The General Assembly Board gives out special credentials. These show the delegate’s name, member number, and the candidacy they represent. Delegates must wear them during the election.
These delegates keep a close eye on everything. They watch the voting, how ballots are counted, and the final results. They can ask questions during the process. Delegates can sit at the voting tables during both voting and counting. Travel and food costs for these representatives are up to their own candidacies to cover.
Voting Stations and How Votes Are Cast
The General Assembly Board alone decides where and how many voting stations there will be. They will announce these locations when the final candidate lists are accepted. The voting station at the Estádio da Luz will have the President of the General Assembly Board in charge, with their secretaries helping. Other stations will have a president and a secretary chosen by the General Assembly Board. Delegates from each candidacy can be there too.
Voting stations on mainland Portugal will be open from 8:30 AM to 10:00 PM (Continental Portugal time). There are two main ways to vote. In mainland Portugal, members will vote in person using paper ballots. In the Azores, Madeira, and abroad, members will vote electronically. This online system will be run by a certified company. It will ensure votes are private, safe, and recorded correctly. However, if any candidacy objects, then members in the Azores, Madeira, and abroad will also vote in person. These physical stations will follow the same rules as on the mainland, operating within the 8:30 AM to 10:00 PM timeframe (Continental Portugal time).
Checking the Rolls and Protecting Data
Only members listed on the electoral rolls can vote. Benfica’s administrative staff create these lists, overseen by the General Assembly Board. The rolls only show a member’s name, number, and vote count, following strict data protection rules (GDPR). This digital file, with all eligible Benfica members and their votes, will never be shared with others. Sharing it would break data protection laws. The electoral rolls will close one month before the first election round. They will clearly mark members who must vote electronically due to where they live.
Delegates can ask Benfica staff for clarification on any member questions during the voting period. What a member’s status is when the rolls close determines if they can be a candidate, vote, or use electronic voting. The deadline to pay membership dues to vote is the day before the first election round. Payments must be recorded in the club’s systems by 11:59 PM that day. Any accepted payment method is fine as long as it’s confirmed on time. Members who haven’t paid by then cannot vote. An independent company, as mentioned earlier, will certify these rolls once they are closed. Candidacy representatives can check the formal compliance of the rolls. They can do this by making a justified request, but they won’t see personal data, respecting privacy laws.
Voting Day Steps
For in-person voting, members use a paper ballot and place it into a ballot box. Ballots will clearly show the candidate lists. They will also be set up for the number of votes each member has. To vote, members must show their club card and an identity card with a photo. The General Assembly Board President or section head must accept this ID.
Every part of the election process will be checked by an independent body. This includes closing the electoral rolls, the actual voting and counting, the electronic voting system, the final results announcement, and even moving physical ballots to the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica for storage or recounts. The electronic voting system will run solely on the platform of this certified independent company. The election process is designed so that audits can happen. This means keeping clear technical records, saving all votes and documents for one year, allowing certifiers and representatives to see relevant paperwork, and producing a final report on technical and procedural compliance for the General Assembly Board.
The Campaign Trail and Two Rounds
The election campaign starts at midnight the day after the candidate lists are posted. It ends at midnight the day before the election. Benfica offers all candidacies equal access to club media. This includes airtime on BTV, individual interviews with presidential candidates on BTV, and a BTV debate with all presidential candidates (if someone declines, the debate still happens). Each candidacy also gets space in the “O Benfica” newspaper. A special section on the club’s official website will feature programs and lists. A newsletter will also spread information about programs and full lists. Representatives from each list will meet with the club’s Communication Director to plan all media content and times.
If no list wins a clear majority of votes in the first round, a second round will take place. This second vote will feature the top two lists for each body needing one. The General Assembly Board will announce the second round date when the elections are initially called. It will happen within 15 days of the first round. The rules for the second round are mostly the same, with any necessary changes.
Voting is always direct and secret. In-person voting happens on mainland Portugal. Electronic voting is for members in the Azores, Madeira, and abroad, unless candidates object. The General Assembly Electoral Meeting must also take place at Benfica’s headquarters. Other physical voting spots will be decided by the General Assembly Board.
When voting in person, members must vote themselves; no one else can vote for them. Each member votes once for each club body. At the entrance to the voting areas, Benfica staff and the certifying company will check members’ IDs. Delegates can also be present there. These staff members confirm if the member can vote and is on the electoral roll. Then, they hand over the right ballot for that member’s vote count. After voting, members deposit their ballot and leave the area. The President and Secretary of each voting table, along with delegates, oversee this whole process.
For those in the Azores, Madeira, and abroad, electronic voting is the method, unless candidacies object. This is for members whose club records show they live in these areas when the electoral rolls close. The electronic system runs on the certified company’s platform. Members get a personalized link to vote, approved by the General Assembly Board. Security measures ensure only the right person votes and that each vote is unique. Electronic votes are secret and personal. No one can vote for another person. Members can also cast blank or null votes. After voting, the system sends an automatic confirmation. A physical vote or an electronic vote means you cannot vote again. The certifying body will submit a final technical report on the electronic system’s performance. If electronic voting isn’t allowed, then members in these regions will vote in person, just like on mainland Portugal.
Final Thoughts on Fairness
A candidacy’s representative can ask for a recount of votes from one or more ballot boxes. This request must be well-explained. The General Assembly Board President can only deny a recount with a clear reason, and that decision can be challenged in court. They will also consult other candidacies, but their opinion isn’t binding. A recount won’t stop the previous results from being announced. The General Assembly Board will conduct any recount, even for boxes outside the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica. If a recount happens, the General Assembly Board will do it with the candidacy representatives present, if they choose to attend.
Once all votes are tallied, and the final results are in, the General Assembly Board President will announce them immediately. These results will be written down in an official record book, signed by all board members. The newly elected club bodies will take office right after the results are announced, assuming all bodies have been chosen. If a second round is needed, then all elected bodies, even those from the first round, will only take office after the final results of the second round. Any complaints about the election process must go to the General Assembly Board as soon as the issue becomes known. These regulations became official the day they were published on Benfica’s official website.
