| name = João Vale e Azevedo | birth_name = João António | birth_date = (1957-05-17) 17 May 1957 (age 67) | birth_place = Lisbon, Portugal | occupation = Investment Banker, Chairman of the Investment Committee of an Investment Bank based in London, former lawyer and former president of S.L. Benfica[cite <refhttp://www.tvi24.iol.pt/videos/sociedade/vale-e-azevedo-pede-passaporte-urgente-para-regressar-a-londres/57868ef10cf2edf5f6b59d39</ref> ; cite ^[1]; cite ^[2]] | spouse = Filipa Vale e Azevedo {{cite ^[3]

João António de Araújo Vale e Azevedo (born 17 May 1957) is an investment banker, Chairman of the Investment Committee of an Investment Bank based in London [cite ^[4] ] ,who was the 31st president of S.L. Benfica and a former Portuguese lawyer convicted of economic related offences allegedly committed between 1993 and 1999 following his Presidency of S.L.Benfica. Vale e Azevedo have never accepted any of the charges and convictions brought against him and believe they have been motivated by political and personal reasons [[cite ^[5] ]. He was also legal adviser to the Portuguese Prime Minister, Francisco Pinto Balsemao. As a qualified Lawyer he was member of the Portuguese Bar Association, International Bar Association, European Lawyer’s Union, American Bank Attorneys and Young Lawyers International Association (AIJA). For the past 30 years he have been Chairman, CEO, director, member of the board, adviser and/or lawyer of several European or Pan-European companies, listed and no listed, including major banks and financials institutional. He also developed business interests particularly in the sugar industry and in property [cite ^[6]; cite ^[7]]

Presidency of Benfica

On 31 October 1997, Vale e Azevedo was elected as the 31st president of Portuguese club S.L. Benfica, succeding Manuel Damásio, in the second most contested elections in the club's history.^[8] He won the elections with 51.5% of 19,824 votes. Soon after, he signed Graeme Souness as coach of the football team. One year and a half later, Souness left the club. He then signed Jupp Heynkes, the German two times European Champion, as coach for the season 1999/2000 [cite ^[9]]. In September 2000 he discovered Jose Mourinho and offered him his first contract as coach. [cite ^[10]]

On 6 November, Vale e Azevedo declared void three contracts between Benfica and Olivedesportos, and announced to take the case to court. These contracts, which were related to static advertising and broadcasting rights of Benfica football matches, had been signed on 28 March 1996 by his predecessor, Damásio. Eight days later, Vale e Azevedo signed an agreement protocol with SIC for the broadcasting of Benfica matches at the Estádio da Luz for the 1997–98 season. Then, on 8 February 1999, Benfica signed a contract with SIC for the broadcasting rights of all home matches in the league between 1999–2000 and 2003–04 seasons. On 2 November 2000, the three contracts with Olivedesportos were deemed void by the court.^[11]. The rights attached to televising of the club's football matches were in fact a monopoly controlled by Olivedesportos which represented all the Portuguese football clubs, and which allocated the television rights amongst the channels and the funds received. It was very clear to Vale e Azevedo that the benefit of this monopoly was not reaching the clubs but was being diverted to third parties. It is a general conclusion that taking this stance against the monopoly resulted in very substantial hostility from the establishment of the football world which in turn resulted in the equal hostility of politicians, journalists and others from different walks of society including the Judicial world who were directly or indirectly involved because of the immense role of football in Portuguese life.ref>{{cite ^[12]

On taking over as President of Benfica Vale e Azevedo found the club was in ruins. There was no financial control whatsoever there, not even any accurate documented accounts. There were insufficient records of payments, which had been made, or income received and it was impossible for anyone to provide the President or the Board with a proper indication of the financial position of the club. There was not even enough money for the team travel; Vale e Azevedo had to pay it out of his own pocket. Vale e Azevedo recovered the financial situation of the club by reducing staff, selling no relevant property assets and by introducing targets within the football squad contracts ^[13].

During his three-year presidency, which ended on 31 October 2000, saved Benfica from a certain bankruptcy due to accumulated huge debts from his predecessors and start paying taxes, suppliers and salaries that were outstanding for months and in some cases years ^[14]

Moreover, the main football team did not win any silverware. Some of his highlights were the "discovery" of coach José Mourinho, the youth football teams that wan all championships for the first time in years, and the cycling team's Volta a Portugal victory in 1999.^[15] Vale e Azevedo was succeeded by Manuel Vilarinho.^[8]

Imprisonment

On 16 February 2001, Vale e Azevedo was detained and put under arrest at his home in Almoçageme, Sintra. Months later, on 7 August, Vale e Azevedo was sent to jail. Prosecutors were concerned that he would leave the country or tamper with evidence. They investigated allegations that he kept at least $1 million (£680,000), from the football transfer of Sergei Ovchinnikov from Benfica to Alverca FC, and laundered cash through offshore banks in the British Virgin Islands.^[16] They investigated a total of 14 counts of embezzlement. At the time it was reported that Vale e Azevedo's yacht, Lucky Me, was paid with part of that money.^[14][16]

On 17 April 2002, he was sentenced to four and a half years in the "Ovchinnikov" case and was detained in Lisbon. On 8 July 2004, he was out on €250,000 bail, in relation to the "Euroárea" case. On 30 March 2007, he was sentenced to five years in prison in the "Ribafria" case. Months later, on 11 July, he was again sentenced to prison, this time to seven and a half years for two crimes in the "Dantas da Cunha" case. On 5 May 2008, the National Republican Guard went to his house to detain him in connection to the latter case but he was in London, England. Two months later, he was voluntarily arrested at the police station in Belgravia, west London, on 8 July following a European Arrest Warrant.^[16][17]

On 13 November 2012, he was extradited to Portugal. He was then sentenced to ten years in prison on 2 July 2013, for six crimes, and ordered to pay Benfica around €7 million for the money he kept from the transfers of footballers: Scott Minto (£500,000), Gary Charles (£1,200,000) and Tahar El Khalej ($850,000).^[18] On 7 June 2016, he was released from prison on parole after serving five-sixths of the 11.5-year sentence.^[19][20]

Honours

List of trophies won by the club during Vale e Azevedo's presidency:

Cycling

• 1 Volta a Portugal: 1999^[15]

Roller hockey

• 1 Portuguese League: 1997–98
• 1 Portuguese Cup: 1999–2000

Basketball

• 1 Portuguese Super Cup: 1998

References