Sporting break silence on alleged Academy raid, mention €350m | OneFootball

Sporting reacted to reports suggesting an alleged revolution at the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy and assured that it is fully confident in the work being carried out in the club’s youth development system. In a statement, the green-and-whites reaffirmed their confidence in the structure, the professionals and the project that has been implemented in recent years.

In the text released by the Lions, the Club highlights the results achieved by the Academy, underlining the role Alcochete continues to play in developing talent for the first team. Sporting points out that more than 80 players trained at the Club have reached the first team, with 43 of those debuts taking place during Frederico Varandas’ terms in office.

The Sporting board also made a point of highlighting the financial impact of its youth development. According to the statement, the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy generated more than €350 million in revenue, with Dário Essugo and Geovany Quenda representing, in the last year alone, income of more than €70 million for the Club’s coffers.

The statement came on the same day that newspaper Record reported an alleged “clear-out” in Sporting’s youth setup. Among those reportedly leaving were Paulo Gomes, the Academy director, as well as the under-23 and under-19 coaches, during a period of changes within the technical staffs of the youth teams.

Despite the changes already confirmed in some technical roles, Sporting is keen to convey a message of stability and confidence in the future, reaffirming its commitment to a youth development model that continues to be seen as one of the Club’s strategic pillars.

Read the full statement below:

“In light of the reports published today by a media outlet, Sporting Clube de Portugal considers it necessary to clarify and reaffirm its full confidence in the Cristiano Ronaldo Academy project, in the youth football structure and in the professionals who work every day to ensure the excellence of what remains one of the most highly regarded development models in world football.

Sporting CP maintains a clear and consistent strategic vision for its academy: a player-centered model aimed at the all-round development of talent. For the current administration, the main objective of the academy is to prepare and integrate players into the first team.

Since the opening of the Academy in 2002, more than 80 players trained at the Club have made their debut for Sporting CP’s first team. Of these, 43 made their first-team debut during the term of this Board, demonstrating the continued commitment to promoting talent from the academy.

No other domestic club has introduced as many homegrown players into the first team as Sporting CP. This commitment has been one of the fundamental pillars of the sporting success achieved in recent years, contributing decisively to winning titles and consolidating a competitive identity.

At the same time, the academy has played a decisive role in Sporting CP’s financial sustainability. Since 2018, players developed at the Academy have generated more than €350 million in revenue for Sporting CP. In the last year alone, the transfers of Dário Essugo and Geovany Quenda brought in more than €70 million, highlighting the Academy’s ability to create sporting and economic value.

In view of these results, Sporting CP categorically rejects the reports circulated today, which do not correspond to the facts or reflect the work carried out at the Academy and within the Club’s youth development structure.

Sporting CP therefore reaffirms its full confidence in the Academy’s leadership, the technical and medical staff, and all the professionals involved in the development of young athletes, remaining firm in carrying out a project that will continue to place youth development at the heart of the Club’s sporting strategy”.

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