The air around Benfica has often felt thick with passion, a potent mix of hope and heartbreak that courses through its global fan base. But beneath the surface, a deeper concern has festered, one that touches the very core of trust. For many supporters, the club’s election process carries a distinct trauma regarding transparency and reliability. This wound, deep-seated and unsettling, can be healed, says Gonçalo Almeida Ribeiro.
Almeida Ribeiro, a former judge and vice-president of the Constitutional Court, believes he has a role to play in this healing. He is running to lead the General Assembly, joining the ticket alongside João Noronha Lopes. “This is a special day,” he declared at Espaço Beato 1904, following the presentation of the ‘Benfica Above All’ candidacy. His mission is clear: to usher in significant change for the beloved club. He pointed directly to the recent General Assembly, where proposed electoral rules were rejected, as a sign of trouble.
The former judge’s personal motivation stems from deep affection for the club. “As a fan, I’ve watched with sadness,” he explained, noting Benfica’s sporting and financial results haven’t matched its vast social reach or potential. He harbors strong hope that a board led by João Noronha Lopes, supported by quality social bodies, could unlock this immense potential. Benfica, a global institution and one of the nation’s most notable cultural pillars, deserves far better than it has received in recent years, he believes.
He observed the chaos of the last General Assembly with sheer astonishment. Benfica, he stated firmly, belongs to its members, a community, not the property of any single person or group. The club’s very essence is democratic. It’s natural for passions, the heartbeat of football, to surge during meetings of the General Assembly, the club’s supreme governing body. However, he insisted, these assemblies can only function correctly when there is an atmosphere of civility and orderly freedom. He witnessed attempts to silence members, organized efforts to inflame emotions, and bids to hijack the assembly’s work. Such actions, he stressed, run entirely against the club’s mission and statutes.
Almeida Ribeiro outlined his vision for future General Assembly meetings. He firmly rejects any idea of making these gatherings less passionate or less attended. Doing so, he warned, would strip Benfica of its very identity. Yet, he emphasized the critical need for “orderly freedom.” The General Assembly presidency possesses limited but important tools, enshrined in the statutes, to ensure this balance is maintained.
Addressing accusations that Noronha Lopes’ supporters instigated the incidents, Almeida Ribeiro was unequivocal. “I was there,” he recounted. “I spoke about the members’ right to propose changes to the electoral regulation.” He confirmed his alignment with João Noronha Lopes, whose challenge he accepted to run for the General Assembly presidency on a separate list. “I can assure you,” he declared, “neither I nor any of the supporters around me had any complicity in what happened.” He called the claims “strictly false.” He also vouched for Noronha Lopes, a man of firm resolve and civility beyond question, suggesting the controversy was manufactured to deflect blame from those truly responsible.
Almeida Ribeiro expressed significant worry about the core issue of the electoral regulation. He criticized the General Assembly for being presented with a board-proposed regulation without members having their statutory right to propose amendments. This, he argued, forced members into a simple “yes” or “no” choice, which heavily contributed to the regulation’s rejection. Now, the club lacks clear rules for its elections.
The current situation presents an irony. The General Assembly presidency has announced it will apply the 2021 election regulations, but only “as far as they are compatible with the statutes.” This grants it broad power to decide how these rules apply. The twist is that the 2021 regulations were crafted under different statutory conditions and were, importantly, agreed upon by both candidacies at the time. With no approved regulation in place now, Almeida Ribeiro reiterated his call for a broad effort to reach a consensus on the rules for the upcoming elections. This, he believes, is the only way to make the elections truly transparent and reliable. Benfica’s supporters have endured enough trauma; open dialogue can finally provide the trust they deserve. Will this consensus materialize? “We shall see,” he concluded.