Aurélio Pereira adds his backing to The Future of Football International Congress

Two days packed with international football's top names would not be complete without the presence of Sporting CP scouting legend Aurélio Pereira. Speaking at The Future of Football International Congress, Pereira congratulated the club for hosting what is now the third edition of the event.

"Firstly, I would like to say that it is always an honour to take part in this type of event, organised by our club. These kinds of events are not easy to put together and some fantastic things have already been said here on various levels. People involved in youth coaching have to listen and learn and that is what we want. The world is about learning, our lives are about learning. It would be impossible to be here and not learn something", said Pereira.

Third edition brings together some of football's top names

The Future of Football International Congress was brought to a close at 13h00 on Thursday and their were smiles all round after another successful event.

Wednesday's panels focused on training and marketing, with Luís Figo, Jorge Jesus, Pacho Maturana, Luciano Cefaratti and Susana Torres all sharing their experiences. Also taking to the stage on day one were the heads of the Inter Milan and FC Barcelona academies, in addition to the director-general for sports with the Brazilian club Corinthians.

Thursday saw Bruno de Carvalho and Oscar Moscariello speak about development and the challenges of the future. Speaking were Avram Grant, Oliver Seitz, Paul Rejer and Emanuel Medeiros.

The closing speech was left to UEFA director Guy-Laurent Epstein: "I want to thank Sporting CP for organising this event, so that we can all think about football. I thank the president for his enthusiasm, for letting us enjoy the emotion of this sport. This is event is vital, because it asks us how we can contribute to football. It is a sport with a long history and that is constantly evolving."

Bruno de Carvalho on the success of The Future of Football International Congress

Bruno de Carvalho made his closing comments at the III The Future of Football International Congress this Thursday. For the Alvalade chief, this year's event adds further to what is becoming an initiative referenced internationally.

"We have been on the front line, putting forward proposals. We have to recognise what is wrong and think about the future, like Emanuel Medeiros told us. We want Sporting CP to take on a role globally. Since I arrived I have been fighting for my club, to make sure we don't stagnate. We have to work together as a team and think outside of the box. Speaking about integrity and honestly in football isn't enough, we have to actually do something and that is what this congress is about", said Bruno de Carvalho.

The Sporting CP president gave the example of the video-referee which will be used in this season's Portuguese Cup final: "We are really proud to see technology being used in the Portuguese Cup final. We have been making proposals in relation to results, where funds come from and other issues such as refereeing. We are right to try and encourage change and we are ready to fight for the club and for football in general. This congress is hosted by Sporting CP and is part of our strategy. This is how we want to contribute to the industry."

AGAP2 director Filipe Esteves presents on the role of groundbreaking technology in football

AGAP2 director Filipe Esteves opened the second day of The Future of Football International Congress this Thursday, with a presentation on the role of technology and the Football ISM application.

"This presentation will re-invent how we manage football. It will allow us to evaluate how players train and help in recruiting talent. It will also help the players' families to follow what is happening. It has taken us three years to get to where we are now, with full access to personalized information", said Esteves, going on to speak about AGAP2's partnership with Sporting CP: "The club picks the information it wants, from training, matches or personal development from season to season, with a range of information available such as what the players are eating. You can follow things in real time, including topics such as contracts and image rights. You can follow young players, get in touch with scouts and thirty seconds later have a report issued to your coordinators or coaches. This application accelerates the recruitment process and helps Sporting CP get to players first."

Luís Figo contributes to panel on training

Luís Figo also took to the stage at The Future of Football International Congress this week, as part of a panel on what makes the difference in training. Also joining the Portuguese legend, in a panel moderated by Luciano Cefaratti, were Jorge Jesus, Francisco Maturana and Susana Torres.

Speaking in front of a capacity auditorium, Figo did not hide is pride on returning to Alvalade: "After so many years it is always nice to come back. In relation to coaching, I think there are two kinds of coach: youth coaches and senior coaches. Coaches are extremely important for youth teams and they are directly responsible for the future of the young players they work with. Senior team coaches have to know everything about the sport, know how to plan and how to deal with certain behaviours to they can get the best out of the players."

Maturana also took took to the stage to share his experience as both a player and a coach, while Susana Torres spoke about the mental side of the game.

Jorge Jesus takes part in The Future of Football panel on coaching

Jorge Jesus was one of the speakers in Panel I (Coaching: what makes the difference?) this Wednesday, at The Future of Football International Congress.

"When I was a young lad I used to hear people say: that team doesn't have a way of playing. So what does that actually mean? Well today I know that youth football makes an important contribution and it is at that level that we set out certain rules with the players. That is where we build up a collective identity. Of course there are no exact sciences in football. Each coach has different ideas and ways of training, but we all slip up sometimes. For example, I might start in 3x4x3 formation, but that doesn't mean I won't change it during the match. I am sure that the future will see football follow the examples of sports like handball and basketball, where a lot of tactical and strategic changes happen during the match", said the Alvalade coach.

Fernando Santos speaks with Sporting TV about last year's Euro win

The Portuguese national coach, Fernando Santos, spoke with Sporting TV in an extensive interview as part of this week's The Future of Football International Congress. Asked about what it takes to win on the top European stage, Santos highlighted the importance of self-belief.

“My conviction that we could win Euro 2016 was linked to the quality of Portuguese football. That was the foundation of it. We have a lot of quality players, in our training and in our organisation, so of course I believed", opened the Portuguese coach, continuing: "We have to be fully aware of what is needed to win and that means scoring goals, but we also have to know how to defend. You really need a good balance at both ends. In football there is only one thing you can sure of: if you don't let goals in then you won't lose."

Pedro Proença, Fernando Gomes and João Paulo Rebelo speak on day 1

After Bruno de Carvalho's opening speech, the president of the Portuguese Football League, Pedro Proença, the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, Fernando Gomes, and the Secretary of State for Youth and Sport, João Paulo Rebelo, took to the stage to share their thoughts.

Proença used the opportunity to highlight the importance of this kind of event: "Taking about the future of football is essential. Portuguese football has produced some great talents since the turn of the century and Sporting CP is one of the most relevant clubs in that. A lot of players made the move to big clubs in the 1990's, which lifted up the club's name too. All of those players have one thing in common: they are from the youth system. That is how your prepare the future."

The League president went on to speak further about the importance of Portugal's youth systems: "As a football country, we are one of the best. Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Ballon D'Or, we won Euro 2016 and Portuguese coaches continue to be some of the best in the world. We want to claim the place we should have on the world stage and this quality of conference contributes to that."

Fernando Gomes also highlighted the impact of the event. "This event will bring together an discussion in the future of national and international football. Sporting CP are our hosts and we thank the club for such an efficient organisation of a project that will help us reflect and learn from the best examples", said the Federation president, followed by the backing of João Paulo Rebelo: "Last year I said here that this event would carry on growing. Seeing who is taking part this year, I wasn't mistaken. Initiatives like this are essential for football."

Bruno de Carvalho opens III The Future of Football International Congress

Speaking in a packed auditorium, Bruno de Carvalho officially opened this year's The Future of Football International Congress this Wednesday.

"This congress has been really important for football. We will speak about various issues here that should be debated, such as academies, brands and training. We have speakers including some of the best coaches in the world, including Jorge Jesus, Fernando Santos and Francisco 'Pacho' Maturana", said the Alvalade president in his opening comments, going on to add: "It is a privilege to contribute to this industry with our proposals. Our role isn't limited to what happens on the pitch and clubs and everyone involved in sport should contribute with ideas. Our objective has to be the defence of true sportsmanship. We are really happy to see new technologies being introduced, like the video-referee which will be used in the Portuguese Cup final. We congratulate UEFA and FIFA for their role in that."

"From me and Sporting CP, I wish you all a good congress", finished Bruno de Carvalho.

Youth stars Gonçalo Vieira and Gil Santos at The Future of Football Congress to listen to their heroes

In addition to the Sporting CP youth coach Tiago Fernandes, the central defender Gonçalo Vieira and the striker Gil Santos also spoke at The Future of Football International Congress this week, in Estádio José Alvalade.