According to "A Bola", the statutes of Portugal's Liga Portugal have been criticized as undemocratic and chaotic. The author believes that governance rules should be reformed first, and a new president should be elected ten months later, rather than electing someone first and then reforming the system.

Liga Portugal's statutes are undemocratic and unclear. Strong institutions should not operate this way.

With ten months remaining until the election for a four-year term, voting for someone first and then changing the rules would be like building a house upside down.

Before reelecting Reinaldo Teixeira, or electing another president who will serve until 2031, the sports clubs must first decide what kind of league they want.

The priority should be to define a new governance model, pass the necessary statute amendments, and then hold elections.

If elections come before reform, it means giving the winner the power to write the rules, allowing them to decide how to use that power.

Reform, which was initially considered urgent, becomes an obstacle after electoral victory and is often forgotten.

In the 18th century, Montesquieu explained that freedom requires that power not be concentrated in the same hands.

Executives should not control the rules, interest representatives should not manage solely for themselves, and supervisors should be independent from those they oversee.

Separation of powers does not eliminate conflict; rather, it organizes and limits it, preventing it from escalating into dominance.

Liga Portugal is not a state, and its statutes are not a constitution, but this principle still applies. Under current governance, the same sports clubs compete, they also receive decisions, and they participate in bodies responsible for making those decisions. Management, representation, and oversight are all mixed together.

Liga Portugal's governance is completely at odds with Montesquieu's teachings.

Three essential reforms are needed.

The first concerns Article 45, Paragraph 2 of the Statutes: the Liga president is "the candidate who receives the most votes."

With a limited electorate, a split election can result in a president elected with support from fewer than half the sports clubs.

A minority president will initially lack the legitimacy to push centralized TV rights and handle conflicts of interest. Presidential elections should require an absolute majority in successive rounds of voting.

The second amendment is Article 47. The Executive Committee is essentially a meeting of interest representatives disguised as an executive body: it has 10 members, including the president, a representative from the Portuguese Football Federation, and 8 sports clubs.

The three clubs with the highest average ranking over the last four seasons—Benfica, Porto, and Sporting—have permanent seats without term limits. They then select two more. Only clubs invited by these three powerful clubs can join. If agreement cannot be reached, it is decided by lottery, which has happened before.

These three clubs are permanent members, and the other two, besides being selected by them, must also rotate. Differences in sporting achievement have been converted into statutory privileges and greater influence.

Will Braga, Guimarães, FC Famalicão, and other sports clubs accept the status quo, or will they use this last opportunity in the next five years to change this model?

Recognizing the status of the three big clubs does not mean giving them permanent institutional seats. The league should acknowledge their interests but not depend on them.

Having clubs on the Executive Committee also creates information asymmetry. Some sports clubs can internally follow the process and participate in decision-making preparation, while others only receive organized information much later.

A sports club should not simultaneously be a competition participant, a decision recipient, and a member of the body that manages the League.

The solution is to form an independent Executive Committee consisting of a president and two directors elected separately by the General Assembly. Each will have their own responsibilities and be accountable for their positions and results.

The elected directors will have the right to reject, oversee, and propose alternatives. They will no longer be mere subordinates of the president but will have their own legitimacy. The Executive Committee should function as a team, not as a court.

Currently, executive directors are selected by the Executive Committee on the president's proposal. Article 52 states that if they are dismissed before the end of their term, there is no compensation.

Their professional survival depends entirely on the president's will. Challenging the president could mean immediate unemployment.

Strong institutions cannot be built on borrowed independence.

Removing clubs from the Executive Committee does not mean excluding them from decision-making; rather, it separates management, representation, and oversight.

The statutes should also establish that Primeira Liga clubs hold monthly meetings, and Segunda Liga clubs also hold monthly meetings, providing documents in advance, ensuring information parity, and recording the positions of all parties.

The Executive Committee will be responsible for management, clubs for follow-up and proposing direction, and the General Assembly will make decisions on structural matters.

In this way, Liga Portugal would shift from a model where a few clubs participate in management to one where all clubs participate equally in decision-making.

The third amendment is straightforward. Article 49 establishes a High Council, but after 11 years, it has never actually been formed. If it is never needed, it should be removed.

Statutes should not merely be containers for institutions that might someday be used. They should contain necessary structures, clear responsibilities, and explicit accountability.

Reforms must be completed before elections. If Reinaldo Teixeira is reelected first, what is the point of then discussing reducing the power he just acquired?

In the coming years, Liga Portugal must centralize TV rights, increase revenue, enhance the competition's value, and re-engage fans.

The league cannot face the challenges of 2030 with a structure designed to manage the balance of the past.

First, decide what kind of league the sports clubs want, then elect the person to lead it.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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