Mário Santos: “The right man to build a competitive team” | OneFootball

FC Porto is moving ahead with the creation of a senior futsal team, a project that Mário Santos acknowledges is demanding and carries great responsibility. The director of sports defined the priorities as a competitive entry into the First Division, a focus on youth development, and the ambition to win titles, with André Pereira tasked with leading the process. The objective is clear: “To win.”

The project is still at an early stage, with no promises of an easy road or any distorted view of the scale of the challenge. At André Pereira’s presentation, Mário Santos made it clear that the new futsal team will have to be built on a solid structure, capable of competing and evolving, and not merely on the signing of talented players.

Speaking about the launch of this new senior team, the director of sports explained that futsal represents a commitment by the club and a responsibility that requires preparation and organization.

“Futsal was an election promise and it is a major challenge, an enormous responsibility, and I think this is the way to fulfill one more objective of our Club,” he said. “Futsal is fully aligned with FC Porto’s identity and we are ready to face this new adventure responsibly.”

The creation of the team therefore comes as the fulfillment of a previously established goal and not merely as an extension of the club. FC Porto intends to begin this stage with the seriousness and scale that match the importance it assigns to it.

As for the choice of coach, Mário Santos highlighted the work done so far and the importance of ensuring its continuity. André Pereira was identified as the right man to strengthen the competitive foundations of the project, which will not depend on the immediate gathering of high-profile players.

“André’s appointment is based on the whole project that already exists and has been gradually built. Although it is a recent project, it is already structured and has allowed us to be successful so far,” he explained. “At this moment, we believe he is the right choice to give continuity to a project that goes far beyond having a team of stars who arrive here with all the credentials. We want to reach the First Division with a competitive team, and we believe that, at this moment, André is the right person to build that foundation.”

The decision to back André Pereira is therefore tied to the continuity of work already underway. Promotion to the First Division is seen as the result of a growth process, in which future competitiveness will have to be built from the foundations now being laid.

Youth development is another pillar of the strategy presented by Mário Santos. Although he recognizes the high level of demands in futsal, he considers it essential to develop players capable of feeding the team over the coming years.

“The reality of futsal at national and international level is based on solid youth development, capable of supplying teams over the coming years. That is the objective we are working toward,” he stressed. “We have no illusions about the need to have top-level players to compete when we reach the First Division, but we also have the ambition to become a benchmark in developing the players who may go on to make up the bulk of that squad.”

This position combines caution with ambition. FC Porto knows it will need quality players to compete in the top tier, but it also wants youth development work to be responsible for a significant part of the future squad.

Mário Santos concluded by stressing that FC Porto’s entry into futsal will be guided by the same competitive culture associated with the club. The club’s ambition, with regional, national, and international reach, also applies to this sport.

“As a club with a regional character and national and international ambition, FC Porto’s ambition in futsal, as in all other sports, is to win,” he assured. “It is to win the championship and fight in European competitions. That is our long-term objective; otherwise, it would make no sense for us to be creating a senior team.”

Although this is a project designed for the long term, the bar has been set from the very beginning. The new senior team will be created to fight for titles and, in the future, also seek a place in European competitions.

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