SIGA EUROPE Cycle of Debates – The Future of Sport in Europe
Hosted by PwC Portugal
14 April 2026
14:00
Palácio Sotto Mayor
Av. Fontes Pereira de Melo 16
Lisbon, Portugal
The SIGA EUROPE Cycle of Debates – The Future of Sport in Europe serves as a high-level forum dedicated to examining the evolving governance, regulatory and economic landscape of sport in Europe.
The initiative brings together SIGA Members, institutional partners, policymakers, sport organisations and industry leaders for structured dialogue on the key forces shaping the European sport ecosystem.
Positioned alongside SIGA’s governance activities, including the Annual General Assembly, the Cycle of Debates connects strategic governance discussions with thought leadership and stakeholder engagement. The platform strengthens collaboration across sectors and contributes to advancing integrity, transparency and accountability in sport.
Agenda
14:00 – WELCOME AND REGISTRATION
14:30 – OPENING SESSION
- António Brochado Correia, CEO, PwC Portugal
- Helena Pires, CEO, Portuguese Football Federation
- Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, Co-Founder & Global CEO, SIGA | Executive Chairman, SIGA EUROPE
15:00 – DEBATE SESSION 1
The European Sports Model: Governance, Competition and Economic Sustainability in an Era of Global Disruption
European Sport is facing a defining governance test as global disruption reshapes competition structures, investment flows, media ecosystems, and fan behaviour. Debates reignited by the European Super League and similar initiatives have exposed tensions between commercial ambition, private influence and the regulatory role of federations, raising fundamental questions about competitive balance, solidarity, and sporting merit. In an era of geopolitical volatility, transnational capital and rapidly shifting global markets, this session examines how the European Sports Model can evolve without compromising integrity, accessibility, inclusivity, and long-term sustainability, and what governance frameworks are required to protect its core values.
- Alberto Colombo, Managing Director / Secretary General, European Leagues
- Alexandre Mestre, Member, Governance & Compliance Committee, UEFA | Member, Aquatics Integrity Unit, World Aquatics
- Andida Bouma, Board Treasurer, European Aquatics
Moderator: Dalila Carvalho, Invited Lecturer, Nova University
15:40 – DEBATE SESSION 2
Countering Criminal Infiltration in a Fragmented World: Multilateral Cooperation, Geopolitics and the Future of Sport
As Sport becomes more global, interconnected and financially attractive, it is also increasingly exposed to several threats, including criminal infiltration, illicit financial flows, betting manipulation and opaque transnational networks. Weak oversight, uneven scrutiny and cross-border regulatory blind spots can create permissive environments where suspicions thrive and public trust erodes. In a context shaped by geopolitical volatility, digital betting markets and increasingly sophisticated criminal methods, this session examines how multilateral cooperation, intelligence-sharing and stronger governance standards can reinforce resilience, asking what collective mechanisms are needed to protect Sport integrity across jurisdictions and how SIGA Universal Standards on Sport Integrity can safeguard the industry.
- Giovanni Tartaglia Polcini, Independent Chair, SIGA | Italian Magistrate | Former Chair, G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group
- António Delicado, Board Member, National Anti-Corruption Mechanism of Portugal (MENAC); Vice-President, Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO)
Moderator: Fernando Veiga Gomes, Chair, SIGA Ethics Committee; Senior Partner, Abreu Advogados
16:15 – COFFEE BREAK & NETWORKING
16:25 – DEBATE SESSION 3
Technology and the Future of Sport Integrity: Managing Risks, Governance and Innovation
Technology is reshaping European Sport at every level, from Artificial Intelligence-assisted officiating and data analytics to sports betting monitoring, compliance systems and athlete protection tools. These innovations can actively strengthen integrity by helping detect manipulation, suspicious transactions, money laundering indicators and irregular behavioural patterns. Yet the same systems also introduce risks, including cyberattacks, data misuse, algorithmic opacity and new forms of digital manipulation. In an increasingly connected ecosystem, this session explores how technology can be governed responsibly not only to mitigate vulnerabilities, but to become a strategic safeguard for fairness, transparency, and trust in sport.
- André Mosqueira do Amaral, Executive Director, Liga Portugal
- Sam Stewart, Director of Product, StreamAMG
- Sebastian Dieguez, Global Head of Public Affairs, Chilliz
Moderator: Lina Santos, Executive Director, ECO Avenida
17:05 – DEBATE SESSION 4
Beyond the Logo: How Global Brands Can — and Why They Must — Advance Sport Integrity
Global brands are no longer passive sponsors. They are increasingly influential actors, shaping the values, visibility and governance expectations of Sport. Their reach across events, digital ecosystems, athlete platforms and fan communities gives them both the capacity and the responsibility to promote transparency, ethical conduct and stronger accountability standards. As integrity failures increasingly carry reputational and societal consequences, this session explores how brands can — and why they must — move beyond visibility to become active partners in prevention, compliance, education, and cultural change across the Sport ecosystem.
- Alessandra Priante, President, Italian National Tourist Board (ENIT)
- Miguel Gouveia de Brito, CEO, True Clinic | Vice Chair, Global Business, SIGA CounciI
- Stephen O’Reagan, Founder & Producer, People of Lisbon
- Tiago Simões, Country Manager, Betclic
- Katie Simmonds, Global Chief Commercial Officer, SIGA | Chair, Council, SIGAWomen
17:40 – CLOSING SESSION
- Joaquim Evangelista, President, Portuguese Professional Players Union (SJPF); Board Member, FIFPro
- Reinaldo Teixeira, President, Liga Portugal
- Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros, Co-Founder & Global CEO, SIGA | Executive Chairman, SIGA EUROPE
