“It is a remarkable legacy of more than a century of history and commitment to the country. The FPF has been a unifying element of the Portuguese people. In recent years, the leap in terms of professionalism, competence and results achieved is remarkable. There is a component of civic and social responsibility that the FPF has had in recent years that is also absolutely remarkable, with a set of projects promoting the practice of sports and physical activity”.

Pedro Duarte made statements to journalists on the sidelines of the closing dinner of the celebrations of the 110th anniversary of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), which is chaired by Fernando Gomes, concluding his third and final term as leader.

“I am very calm about the legacy left at the FPF. There are very obvious results for all of us, but seeds have also been left that will continue to sprout in the coming years. I greatly respect the autonomy of the bodies themselves and the State cannot interfere. We are at a time of elections in all sports federations and then there will be elections in the Olympic Committee. The Government cannot interfere, but we trust those who decide”, he explained, when asked to comment on the FPF elections, on 14 February.