Chair, SIGA Ethics Committee
Between platforms, campaigns, and public statements, Portuguese sport remains vulnerable. What is missing are concrete actions, political courage, and effective prevention.
There is much talk about integrity in Portuguese sport, but little is done to actually implement it. There are reports, platforms, protocols, and conferences filled with good intentions, but when the whistle blows, reality is different.
Good governance, financial integrity, and the fight against match-fixing remain more theoretical than practical — and this keeps Portugal at risk.
In terms of good governance, much remains to be done. There are no minimum standards for the organisation of sports bodies, no rules on accountability, stakeholder representation, gender diversity (except in sports companies), term limits, etc. The only exception lies in conflict-of-interest and incompatibility rules for members of the governing bodies of sports companies, where we fall into the opposite extreme — it is almost impossible not to be incompatible. The management model for sports clubs still follows the Civil Code of 1966, where good governance rules are essentially non-existent.
Regarding financial sustainability, mechanisms for transparency, responsible use of funds, auditing, financial reporting, and compliance systems are scarce. Likewise, the tools to combat corruption, money laundering, or illicit financing remain weak. The system controlling the entry of capital into SADs (Sports Public Limited Companies), based on sworn statements about the lawful origin of funds and financial capacity — all overseen by an under-resourced IPDJ — is, frankly, a risky system.
In professional football, despite improvements brought by licensing and certification, the system remains basic. It relies mainly on post verification, requiring certificates of no debt and proof of salaries paid on time. It is not enough. The paradigm must shift toward budgetary control and the prohibition of excessive spending. A mid-table first-division club is allowed to compete with fixed revenues that do not reach 50% of its budget. A club may resort to consecutive restructuring plans (PERs) with no sporting sanction whatsoever.
As for preventing match manipulation, Portugal does have the National Platform for Integrity in Sport and the National Council for Sport Integrity, bringing together police, prosecutors, and federations. But a platform without resources is merely symbolic. Online betting monitoring is weak, cooperation between bodies is slow, and alerts of potential manipulation rarely result in thorough investigations. The structure exists, but the muscle is missing — as are training and prevention.
In professional football, some monitoring mechanisms are in place (betting operators’ technology raises alerts). But one or two divisions below, the scenario changes: delayed wages, lack of oversight, and vulnerable players. That is where integrity is lost.
The Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) has created a set of Universal Standards that can and should be adopted by Portuguese sports organisations, precisely addressing the areas above: good governance, financial integrity, sports betting integrity, and youth development & protection.
Integrity is not a pretty concept for reports and laws. It is the foundation of sport. Portugal needs political will, appropriate regulation, independent investigation, resources, training, prevention, and exemplary sanctions.
Without that, the public — who believe in the truth of the result — will eventually stop believing in everything else.
Integrity means doing what must be done. In sport, nothing less.
– THE END –
* This article was originaly published in Portuguese by O Jogo, as part of it’s participation as hosting partner on SIGA’s Sport Integrity Action Month Sport Integrity Action Month 2025.