Everything Noronha Lopes said on Benfica TV: I want change with confidence | OneFootball

João Noronha Lopes was interviewed by BTV due to his participation in the elections for the Presidency of Benfica. The candidate for President of Clube da Luz is among the contenders for the upcoming elections, which will take place on October 25. Read the full interview here - and check out the conversation with another candidate here.

"I am very pleased to be here to talk about ideas for Benfica. Benfica is a part of my life. It has given me a lot, and I live with the joys and sorrows of Benfica. Just like in 2020, I believe a change is necessary - a new project that makes Benfica a new Benfica with a sense of change."

Remuneration

"Yes. For two reasons: principle and transparency. The position can be held by anyone. This change in the Statutes democratized it, even allowing for more possibilities. Someone who dedicates themselves full-time should be remunerated. It's not the fact of being paid that makes me want to be president of Benfica. In 2020, that possibility didn't exist. It's a matter of principle and transparency."

Professional Football

"Pedro Ferreira will report to Nuno Gomes; he was part of the team that recently took Nottingham Forest to European positions. I also have Tomás Amaral, who will be the link with the scouting team, and Paneira, who will connect with loaned players and scouting. We can't have victories when we have four coaches in four or five years. I guarantee stability because there is a team working together. This team will identify players who can come from the youth academy and the positions we need to look for externally. I want a formation to win, not to sell. We want to retain our players longer, especially those who uphold our mystique, as happened with João Neves. Regarding Scouting, Benfica must have a Chief Scout. Benfica cannot be at the mercy of the market - this involves a professional structure. The issue of identity - it's something that cannot be forgotten at Benfica, the mystique, the grit. It is built with Benfica symbols, who welcome players and explain this identity to the youth academy players."

Benfica's Youth Academy

"We want an integrated formation with a development plan for each player. Where people are rewarded for the evolution of players to the main team. The academy must serve the main team, and we must retain academy coaches. Secondly, we want a scouting department that allows us to arrive earlier and a women's football in which we have to invest more, with European ambition."

"Our academy is one of the best and a well-done work, but we need to have the players earlier. Make players want to be champions at Benfica and not elsewhere. It's a matter of work and philosophy. They need to understand that their future first involves succeeding at Benfica. We need to create identity in the players, ensuring they are well remunerated."

Scouting and Portuguese Market

"We need to look more inward. Last year we brought in Manu, to whom I wish a speedy recovery, we need to be more attentive to the Portuguese market because these are players who know the reality of our championship, and this is one of the areas where Paneira will help us."

Profile of Positions

"Nuno Gomes will be the vice-president, overseeing all football and responsible for international contacts. Pedro Ferreira will coordinate the areas of youth academy, scouting, and women's football. Someone will be in charge of liaising with other club areas. Tomás Amaral will be the sports director, and Vítor Paneira will connect the structure with the main team and also look at loaned players."

Player Profile

"The profile of a Benfica player must have talent but also cultural integration, knowing what Benfica represents. When I see players saying they want to move on, I get worried. In football, there must be coordination between formation and scouting. There can't be signings by the coach, sports director... they must be defined together based on a philosophy. It relates to the type of football and the players we sign and those from the academy who can evolve. If there's a coach who asks for a forward who moves to the wings, we won't sign a finisher."

Women's Football

"Make changes in Seixal. Strengthen scouting and have a policy that allows us to be ambitious in Europe. It's a growing area worldwide."

Benfica's Finances

"The debt increased by almost 100 million euros, and the financial situation needs to be corrected. The main priority is to balance current revenues and expenses. We have an annual deficit of 15 million euros. With a policy of control and revenue increase, we can turn this deficit into a positive situation of 30 million euros. By doing this, we are less dependent on player sales."

"The operating expenses increased. It's an area we will look at, and there's naturally room to cut, around 10 percent. We will act accordingly after seeing the real situation. I can come here with the best management plan, but if we don't qualify for the Champions League and don't have a good TV rights contract, it's much more difficult."

Centralization of TV Rights

"Benfica must lead this process. For three or four years, Benfica supported a League president who didn't accelerate this process and presented numbers that would make Benfica lose 20 million euros a year. And that's unthinkable for me. Benfica must be valued for its impact on Portuguese football. Benfica must lead and not step aside after the shame of the Portuguese Cup. How is it possible that the most important club in Portugal is out of this process? There is no centralization without Benfica. We can change the frameworks, reduce the number of teams, but it must be a global approach. If I have to stand alone defending Benfica, I will."

BTV and Naming

"I think there shouldn't be any rush. Not just anyone can be associated with Estádio da Luz. BTV is much more than a channel that broadcasts games. It must be a space of diversity, with people from podcasts discussing Benfica outside the channel. Presence of Benfica houses and transforming BTV into a content production center. It's a model I studied."

Sports

"We win 30 percent of the titles. We can't have a vice-president saying we'll try to finish second in handball. Associativism is part of Benfica's identity. I will have someone linked to sports, who will have a sports coordinator and an operational one. We will have a red pass card for sports with more benefits. We need to have a regular presence of sports in Benfica Houses. We need a real investment in formation, with protocols with schools and other clubs."

Expansion of Seixal and Luz

"Increase the stadium's capacity and modernization. I have a study that foresees increasing the capacity to 83,000 seats and its modernization. This study lacks some information that we will only have when we have everything in our possession about the stadium. We won't do it like in Benfica District. I want to present it to the members first. I won't build shopping centers, hotels... I want to increase the capacity to reduce the red pass waiting list. Create a members' house and invest in infrastructures in Seixal."

Decisions... Statutes

"We will create a member ombudsman who will help ensure complaints reach the management. Create a transparency portal, where remunerations, commissions, and my electoral program will be. It's very important to bring Benfica fans closer to Benfica Houses. I've surely been through half a hundred, and many of my ideas came from there. Support them in areas like IT technology. Create conditions to recruit members. I don't understand why there isn't a congress of the Houses to hear what they have to say. The statutes belong to everyone. There are things I agree with and others I don't. They are surely better than the previous ones."

Changes at Benfica

"For Benfica to be respected, it must respect itself. Be at the forefront of fundamental processes. Not give up having an important role in elections for federative bodies and be defended in a timely manner. Benfica cannot be defended in statements when everything is lost. If there's someone who never supported Proença, it was me. I am completely independent."

If elected, what legacy would you like to leave?

"I would like to leave a legacy of a more winning Benfica, more respected in Portugal and Europe. A Benfica recognized for transparency. Where workers are proud and everyone feels motivated to work for Benfica. I want a change with confidence. I have been working with a team for over a year. We will make a change without upheavals. It's not the people from the past who are part of the future."

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