Benfica members have elected former Portuguese international Rui Costa as president to replace Luis Filipe Vieira who was arrested in July.
The club said on Saturday that Costa, 49, comfortably won the election for a four-year term, collecting 84.48 per cent of the votes against 12.24 per cent for his opponent, Francisco Benitez.
The club said that slightly more than 40,000 of its members voted, a record turnout.
Costa, who is from Lisbon, was an attacking midfielder who started and ended his playing career with Benfica. In between, he spent seven seasons at Fiorentina and five at AC Milan. He played 94 times for Portugal.
He was vice-president and took interim control of the club when Vieira resigned after he was arrested and placed under house arrest.
Portugal’s Public Prosecution Service said they were investigating possible “breach of trust, aggravated fraud, forgery, tax fraud and money laundering.”
Vieira, 72, had been in charge at Benfica for 18 years, a record for longevity.
During that time Benfica won seven Portuguese league titles and recovered from financial difficulties caused by previous scandals.
Benfica finished third in the Portuguese league last season, the second in a row in which they failed to win a trophy.
World Cup News
-
FIFA World Cup
/ 2 weeks agoVinicius says Spain should lose 2030 World Cup unless racism declines
Brazilian striker Vinicius Junior has called for Spain to be stripped of its 2030...
By AFP -
FIFA World Cup
/ 2 months agoRights groups demand release of jailed Qatar World Cup ex-staffer
Human rights groups on Wednesday called for the release of Abdullah Ibhais, a former...
By AFP -
FIFA World Cup
/ 2 months agoNew Jersey governor says 2026 World Cup will be ‘incredibly safe’
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on Sunday promised the 2026 World Cup will be...
By AFP -
FIFA World Cup
/ 5 months agoSaudi oil giant Aramco agrees major FIFA sponsorship deal
Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Aramco and world football governing body FIFA on Thursday...
By AFP