Alvalade president speaks with journalists at event showcasing new Alvalade pitch

Estádio José Alvalade opened its doors to the public this Thursday, giving the fans the chance to catch a glimpse of how the planting of a brand new pitch and a refit of the executive boxes in progressing.

The sporting president took advantage of the gathering to announce that next season's presentation game will take place on the 23rd of July against Lyon, before the hosting of the Five Violins trophy seven days later against Wolfsburg.

“We are stronger and more ambitious, because of the excellent work we have been doing. The way we involved last season during the work we do on a weekly basis shows that we are closer to where we want to be now. We can't wait for the season to start", said Bruno de Carvalho.

Bruno de Carvalho speaks about Slimani suspension at dinner organised by Sporting Foundation

Bruno de Carvaho took part in a charity dinner organised by the Sporting Foundation and the Capulana Association this weekend, hosted in the Aldeia dos Capuchos Hotel. Speaking about the event, the Alvalade president reaffirmed Sporting's commitment to helping those in need: "I was born in Mozambique and I am really happy with having the Sporting Foundation help institutions over there. It is really important for Sporting to understand the important mission we have not just in Portugal, but around the world too. We have to show that we are here to help, not just in terms of sports but also socially."

The Sporting boss also made the most of his time with gathered radio journalists to speak about the re-election of Fernando Gomes as president of the Portuguese Football Federation: "Yesterday I was clear. I see a lot of things I agree with in the mandate that was given today, especially those which touch on discipline and refereeing. That is something that Sporting has been pushing for. I am however saddened with seeing people such as Manuel Santos Serra carry on and I am worried about decisions which I think are a bit knee-jerk, such as the Slimani punishment and the vouchers issue nothing being followed up. Those decisions don't make sense."

Bruno de Carvalho also had a word to say about Vítor Pereira, former president of the Refereeing Council: "I worry, but we do not have the capacity to get people back on track. A lot of decisions which were taken were not good for Portuguese football. All that I am hoping for now is that Vítor Pereira, who finally stepped down, does not receive any awards. Referee nominations for matches made no sense at all and I do not want to see Vítor Pereira rewarded with a place at UEFA or the Refereeing Academy. Let's hope that he is moved away from football once and for all. Those who like true sport and transparency certainly will not miss him."

Bruno de Carvalho at Alcobaça Supporters' Club celebrations

Speaking in a special event at the Alcobaça Sporting Supporters' Club, Bruno de Carvalho shared his thoughts on life in the Alvalade hot seat.

"Everything that hasn't happened won't make us weaker. It will make us even more determined to make our voice heard. When we arrived three years ago we said that football needed to rebuild its credibility and every day we have more and more examples of why that is needed", said Bruno de Carvalho at the event, adding a work on refereeing: "Some Portuguese clubs have opened their eyes now. Bring in the video referee and give people what they want, which is justice and good sportsmanship. We are wasting a lot of time talking about it instead of doing it."

For Bruno de Carvalho, reforms shouldn't stop with just football: "Of course it isn't just football. We hae all seen what is happening in Portuguese handball as well. We can't just sit back and watch a team refuse us tickets. Nobody was worried about it and then the same thing happened with Benfica and the game was canceled. Enough is enough."

President Bruno de Carvalho on Sporting's ECC gold

The Sporting president, Bruno de Carvalho, spoke with Sporting TV this Sunday evening after watching Alvalade's ladies win the European Champions Club Track and Field Senior Cup this weekend in Turkey, sixteen year's after Sporting's male athletics team managed the same feat.

"This involved a lot of teamwork. Our objective is to win European titles and that wasn't an easy thing to achieve when we first arrived at Sporting. This is down to a lot of hard work and it is great to share in this with the athletes, to share in Sporting's 24th European title. this is a great day for Sporting's 6.5 million fans and is the result of what the board as been doing for every sport at the club", opened Bruno de Carvalho, adding: "A lot of people have now realised that Sporting is back, not only in terms of football, but back to its natural state: being one of the best in Europe. This trophy is proof that Sporting is back."

Bruno de Carvalho on the coming transfer window

Speaking at the University of Evora on Friday, Bruno de Carvalho affirmed that Sporting will not be overly active in the coming transfer market and will instead focus on maintaining a stable squad.

“This will not be a very interesting transfer market for the press when it comes to Sporting. Players who are really important for us will not be leaving for less than their buy-out clause. We have everything needed to win the league next season and we deserve to be. It was an emotional season with our fans and we still haven't won the league, but everyone realizes it is close", affirmed the Alvalade president.

Sporting CP statement

In light of news articles published in the media, Sporting Clube de Portugal SAD hereby repudiates the content published therein and reiterates what was has already been stated by president Bruno de Carvalho:

1 – The contract renewals and players signed in the summer transfer market will make up the squad for next season

2 – Players will be signed if players leave. Any player leaving will always be for the respective buy-out clause

3 – This is the strategy which has been defined by SAD relative to the transfer market and the transfer of players to and from the club

4 – It is the coach who works with the squad and our objectives are clear: win titles domestically and gain success in Europe

5 – No Director of Sport will be signed and, as announced by the president, Octávio Machado will continue in his role

6 – Decisions such as the substitution of the pitch in Estádio José Alvalade or the improvement of the structure supporting the professional football team will always be on the exclusive initiative and are the responsibility of the SAD Administration

7 – The renewed contract with coach Jorge Jesus has exactly the same terms as the contract initially signed, contrary to what has been suggested

8 – As was affirmed by the president yesterday, various departments are undergoing alterations on the initiative of the SAD Administration and the heads of each department.

Alvalade coach dispels doubts surrounding his future

Bruno de Carvalho today announced the renewal of coach Jorge Jesus' contract until the end of the 2018/2019 season.

"I want to thank the SAD and Sporting board of directors for their faith in me and in everyone who works with me. Two months ago the president invited me to renew my contract for another year. It was a show of confidence and it touched me and convinced me that this is what I want. We thought about it together and we did what was best for Sporting", affirmed Jesus after penning the extended deal, adding: "In 10 months we have done a spectacular job. I think that Sporting is much stronger now and I am really happy with having the chance to stay here."

Bruno de Carvalho also spoke at the signing, reflecting on the work done in Jesus' debut season: "I spoke with Jorge and we decided to sign up for another year. Sporting is a club that takes announcing this kind of information very seriously Both Jorge Jesus and I are people guided by passion and that is what sealed it in the end. The club is in great shape, both financially and in terms of sports success. We have took a big step in unifying this club again and to carry on giving the fans things to be happy about."

Bruno de Carvalho sits down the the press to close the last training session of the season

Of course present for Sporting's last training session of the season this week, Bruno de Carvalho took a moment with Sporting TV at the end of the day's work to reflect on the campaign.

"We had a reason full of highs. the players trained today as if it was the first day of the season. We didn't reach our objective, but we are really proud of what we did. Unfortunately we didn't finish in first, but we would do it all again right now, no problem at all," affirmed the Alvalade president, adding: "The fans were magnificent and all I can do is say thank you. The way we were supported in Alvalade after getting back from Braga was mutual recognition between the players and the fans. There is no point speculating now and all we want to do is get back to work."

Bruno de Carvalho finished with a promising look to the future: "Sporting is back, we are solid and focused. We did out job and we didn't let the pressure get to us. We are all really proud of what we achieve this season."

Bruno de Carvalho released statement

CLUB STATEMENT

Publishing information brings with it obligations that some members of the press refuse to comply with.

For three years we have been discussing these poor practices. However, certain members of the press continue to act in this way, against all of the regulations of their profession.

In this light, we would like to clarify the following

1. Octávio Machado will not be replaced by anybody.

Octávio Machado will continue as the Director of Professional Football.

In addition to his role as the Fans Liaison Officer, André Geraldesis responsible for the Players and Families Support Office, which serves the professional football team and the club's other teams. The only change made to this office is that it will now cover youth football and the Sporting Olympics Office;

2. Virgílio Lopes will continue to lead the Sporting Academy and Youth Football.

Dr. Guilherme Pinheiro is the SAD administrator who is permanently at the Academy to assist in all issues relating to youth football, allowing for more efficient decision making and the strengthening of investment in the youth system..

This addition was made after being suggested by Virgílio Lopes

3. Hiring players is, as it always has been since the start of the current mandate, in the hands of the President, who is assisted when necessary by the administrators Dr. Guilherme Pinheiro, Dr. Carlos Vieira, Dr. Rui Caeiro and Dr. Sancho Freitas, as well as the SAD legal department;

4. No club has "stolen" Slimani or any other player from Sporting Clube de Portugal and no entity outside of the club decides the future of our players.

All such news articles are pathetic and are an attempt to create anxiety in the squad.

To "decide" the future of any Sporting Clube de Portugal player, clubs must first talk to the President. This of course will not be easy, due to his stance in defence of the club and his players. The players are totally focused on Sunday's match and such news articles have no effect on them;

5. Today an article about the possible substitution of Simeone for Jorge Jesus was released. The SAD administration have contacted Atlético de Madrid, who denied this. That is something that could also have been done by journalists.

Alvalade President leads presentation ceremony

Although the Sporting Foundation was actually founded back on the 20th of December 2011, it was with the election of Bruno de Carvalho for the leadership of the club that the Foundation found a new lease of life, helping the parts of society that most need our support.

After the Charity Training event that saw more than 8,000 presents donated to a children's home, the Sporting Foundation has now launched an innovative new product: the Friends of the Sporting Foundation Card. Costing just 10€ for a season, this is a fantastic way to contribute to the lives of the more than 20,000 youths and 200 associations that the Foundation works with.

Speaking at the launch of the initiative, President Bruno de Carvalho laid down signing up for the card as an obligation for all Sporting fans: "Foundations like this one exist to give opportunities and experiences to people and it is important that we all think about the work that the Sporting Foundation does. It has been one of the most important vehicles for showing the human element of the club and we want Sporting to be much more than just a sports institution. We think that the Sporting Foundation will be able to reach out to even more people with the help of the Friends of the Sporting Foundation Card, which is at the heart of what the Foundation was created to do."