Rui Moreira: “FC Porto is part of our city’s identity” | OneFootball

The Porto City Council and FC Porto formalized this Friday an agreement that transfers the surface rights of a plot of land belonging to the Ramalho Ortigão School, currently closed, for the construction of a new multi-sports pavilion dedicated to youth training, unique in the national landscape. The mayor, Rui Moreira, highlighted the “normalization of the relationship” between the municipality and the Club, which “plays an absolutely decisive role in the city.” “From Burma to Bangladesh, everyone knows that FC Porto is, in fact, part of our identity as a city, and we owe a debt of gratitude to a Club that embodies the spirit of the city,” added Rui Moreira.

The normalized relationship with FC Porto“I would like to start by greeting the president of FC Porto, the board members, Ms. Catarina Araújo, Councillor for Sports, and just say a few things that seem relevant to me. When we arrived here, 12 years ago, one of our concerns was the normalization of the relationship between the Municipality of Porto and the city’s institutions, and there was one that, as you well know, was going through complicated times. I don’t really like the term, but those were truly troubled times, and right at the beginning we managed to make, with FC Porto—something few people remember now—an agreement regarding the Club’s swimming pools, right nearby. It was one of the most important symbolic acts; it was the resumption of a normal relationship with FC Porto, to which a series of important signs were later added, whether it was the celebration of FC Porto in this house, which belongs to all the people of Porto, or in terms of the work that has been done regarding sports practice.”

The Club’s eclecticism at the service of the city“FC Porto is not just football; it truly has this whole training aspect, it has the eclecticism that we greatly appreciate, it has adapted sports in which it plays an absolutely decisive role in the city, and ultimately, being FC Porto the largest club in the city, it has this ability to complement municipal policies. And it is within this framework, in fact, that this concession is included, which was well demonstrated by what is stipulated in the deed. We are building in that area of the city, in particular, a set of facilities. We have been investing heavily in that area, in the eastern part of the city, and therefore it also fits within our goals for the eastern zone. Furthermore, the vision we have for the city, in terms of sports activities, is very clear. It is very important for a city like Porto to have this ability to offer people this enjoyment, the enjoyment of sports, which is important from every point of view. It is very important from the perspective of social cohesion, of what is the city’s identity, and FC Porto is clearly associated with the city’s identity; it is very important in terms of preventing deviant behavior among young people, something that should concern us all. Sport is what brings people together around a table, able to talk.”

A matter of justice and recognition“I consider that this act was also an act of justice towards FC Porto, because for years, unlike other cities that recognized in their main club an asset, for some years the city of Porto turned its back on FC Porto and we did not want it to be that way. I also want to say, to make it clear, that this is a good deal for the city, because if it were not FC Porto doing it, we would have to make this investment ourselves. And it was not the mayor who decided, it was the Municipal Executive and the Municipal Assembly.”

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