The bright lights of the Portugal Football Summit recently drew some of football’s sharpest minds. Among them, executives from Portugal’s biggest clubs gathered to talk about something crucial: how to keep football financially sound. Nuno Catarino, Benfica’s Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, shared his club’s views. He spoke alongside Salgado Zenha from Sporting and Pereira da Costa from FC Porto. Their panel, “Building Sustainable Clubs: The Future of Football Finance,” aimed to tackle the big money questions in the sport.
Catarino pointed to Benfica’s strong focus on youth development. He stressed that growing new talent is a key part of their identity. He mentioned that when looking across Europe’s five biggest leagues, Benfica’s academy has produced more players than any other. It acts like a university, sending skilled players out into the world of football.
This talent factory is part of a larger plan. Benfica aims to reach 500 million euros in revenue. This goal would place them among the top 10 to 20 clubs in Europe. Right now, they sit between the 20th and 30th spots. To hit this target, investing in their stadium is also essential. Benfica has put 50 million euros into stadium upgrades over the last five years. This money went towards new panels, improved sound systems, better seating, and general renovations. Catarino believes there’s still much more they can do.
One big challenge clubs face is the ever-increasing cost of top players. “Talent is getting more expensive all the time,” Catarino noted. Players are a premium product in the entertainment world. Other entertainment industries see annual price increases of around 9 percent. This trend shows that the football business will need even more investment moving forward. Clubs like Benfica must grow their income much faster than their rivals.
Benfica is trying to find new ways to make money. Online sales of merchandise are growing this year. There is a lot of potential to increase these revenues. This could help the club depend less on selling its players. Reducing reliance on player transfers is a big goal.
Then there’s the peculiar issue of sports insurance in Portugal. Catarino finds it hard to explain the system to his international colleagues. He describes a setup where a factory worker receives the same insurance protection as a football player. This unique system could cause problems down the line.
He even suggested that some players, nearing the end of their careers, might join clubs just to secure a pension. This situation complicates things for both clubs and insurance companies. He believes it offers no clear benefits to anyone involved. It simply makes life harder for those trying to manage football finances responsibly.