António Salvador: Without Braga, Portugal wouldn’t have 3 in UCL | OneFootball

António Salvador participated in the Portugal Football Summit, at the City of Football, where he discussed the participation of Portuguese teams in European competitions and the role of SC Braga in this context.

The club president highlighted the contribution of the Minho team to the presence of the "big three" in the Champions League and addressed Portugal's prospects in the European landscape.

Regarding the current season, he expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that Sp. Braga needs to play six games to reach the Europa League group stage.

He also mentioned the investment in youth training and the development of women's football at the club.

Portuguese teams in European competitions: “Since I arrived, Sp. Braga has taken a different path with 3 pillars: financial stability; surrounding ourselves with competent people and staff in all areas to have stability, vision, and strategy to grow; and third, the infrastructure we need for the club to grow. There was this vision and commitment to the club, and everyone else should and must think so we can have a more competitive league. This demographic vision, we cannot believe that in UEFA there is centralization of revenue and we can receive the same and not in Portugal. Last year, Liverpool was the national champion and received 1.6 times more than the last ranked in TV revenue. It has much more dimension than Southampton but that doesn't mean it stops receiving like that. It's for the competitiveness of the league. FC Porto, Benfica, and Sporting have about 2 million [followers] on Instagram. Real Madrid has close to 200 million. By demographic and social issues, how much would they receive from UEFA? We cannot want one thing in European competitions and another in the league. We have to distribute revenue to everyone so that all can be more competitive.”

Importance of SC Braga: “In UEFA, it brings more value, they should receive more. As president, strategy, and club, revenue should be distributed differently so we have a more competitive league. If it weren't for what Sp. Braga has done in recent years, FC Porto, Benfica, and Sporting wouldn't all be in the Champions League. It would be impossible. Sp. Braga is essential for this path. Also having clubs in the Conference League for Sp. Braga to enter directly into the Europa League.”

Will Portugal cement the 6th place in the European ranking?: “That will depend a lot on what will be done from now on and how competent we can be. Sp. Braga has been making its way. In eight games, seven wins and one draw. It will depend on what we and others do to keep the 6th or we are subject to falling back. Instead of 7th, we might end up in 8th next year.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.