SL Benfica: Rui Costa elected president with 84.48% of the votes and a record 40,115 participants

Rui Costa has been elected president of SL Benfica (Liga Portugal Bwin) with 84.48% of the votes in a historic ballot in which a record 40,115 members participated, announced the club on 10/10/2021. The former Portuguese international midfielder (94 caps, 26 goals) thus becomes the 34^th president of the Lisbon club, where he trained and played 182 matches (scoring 28 goals) in total, from 1990 to 1994 and then from 2006 to 2008.

Rui Costa had been acting as interim president since 09/07/2021, replacing Luís Filipe Vieira. Suspected of corruption, tax fraud and money laundering, Vieira had been arrested by the Portuguese police two days earlier and had initially been temporarily suspended from his duties before eventually resigning on 15/07/2021. He had been president of SL Benfica since 2003.

"Today we turn a page in the history of our club. A new cycle begins, with redoubled ambition and confidence in the future," said the new president during his inaugural speech.

• Rui Costa had one opponent in the form of Francisco Benitez during the SL Benfica presidential election. Benitez…