João Diogo Manteigas, a candidate for the presidency of Portuguese football giant Benfica, is advocating for a platform of targeted reforms, aiming to address widespread dissatisfaction among supporters and staff while preserving the club’s existing strengths.
Manteigas acknowledges there is “some aversion” to change within the storied Lisbon club. He countered this by stating his project seeks to “change what is bad and improve what is good,” rejecting any notion of starting from scratch. “Everything is usable,” he told Portuguese news agency Lusa.
He believes this resistance stems from a “false idea that whoever enters Benfica anew will change everything.”
The 42-year-old lawyer asserts that Benfica possesses many strong aspects across its sports, institutional, and economic-financial departments that will be utilized if he is elected. Conversely, he noted that certain areas “have to be altered, as in everything.”
Manteigas senses a “global dissatisfaction,” stating that people desire to change how Benfica interacts with its fans and how the club operates. He also called for a shift in the club’s overall mentality, as represented by its elected leadership.
Internally, Manteigas claims a “large majority” of Benfica employees are unhappy with a lack of career progression and recognition for their work. Should he win, he intends to address this by empowering long-serving, capable staff members with more responsibility.
Manteigas has set an ambitious target of increasing Benfica’s membership to 500,000 within four years if elected. The club surpassed 400,000 members in February. He also aims for a “more united” fanbase and a “more sustainable” club by 2029.
He emphasized that his candidacy stands apart due to his specialized knowledge and the team he has assembled, focusing on sports, economic-financial, and institutional areas.
The election is scheduled for October 25. Manteigas is one of several candidates, including current president Rui Costa and former president Luís Filipe Vieira. Other contenders include João Noronha Lopes, Martim Mayer, and Cristóvão Carvalho. A separate list, led by João Leite, is competing for the General Assembly Board.
Should no candidate secure more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election between the top two contenders will take place two weeks later, on November 8.