By Melody Gross 
After a season in which they secured access to European competitions, Rio Ave found itself relegated to the second division. However, their presence in Liga 2 seems short, with Vila Condenses leading the standings with 64 points.
An achievement praised by Antonio Silva Campos during the 83rd Anniversary Ceremony.
“From the beginning he took our candidacy, even accusing us of believing it was already secured, but sure enough we worked hard to be in this position. We know we have a team capable of achieving this goal,” he explained, who had already predicted the match with Covilha, from round 33, which could mean promotion if Casa Pilla faltered against Villafrancoense: “I find it difficult to actually achieve it in this round, because we do not count On ourselves mathematically. So we are counting on two tough battles.
Finally, he spoke to the members when handing over the silver badges, which took place at the club’s headquarters and which was also attended by the President of the General Assembly, Amandio Cotero.
“We promised to restore our headquarters, a building full of memories for the river dwellers, and here we are taking the first steps into the new life of this important part of our heritage. And to do so by welcoming you, dear members, to celebrate your loyalty to the club, is cause for doubly proud. Naturally, we would like to give this honor the greater dimension it deserves. You know, we are only now liberating ourselves from what was the Covid-19 pandemic, which prevented us, in time, from preparing the festivities in our image, in an image the size of the Rio Ave Futebol Clube,” he said.