FC Porto's elections are fast approaching, with less than three weeks to go until April 27, an election date expected to be the most competitive in the club's 130-year history. The need for new infrastructure for the “Dragon” is one of the points of unity between Pinto da Costa and Andre Villas-Boas, the two opponents in the race for the Porto elections.
Pinto da Costa, as president of FC Porto, presented the club's new academy in Maya, confirming the fulfillment of his promise that it does not depend on elections – as the club has already signed contracts to ensure construction begins under new management.
On the former coach's part, the desire to establish a high-performance center in Olivale is, at the moment, little more than a wish – an electoral victory is necessary for the project to come to fruition. It even seems that their hands are 'tied' when it comes to this matter, if the contracts already signed by the FC Porto management are protected by strong conditions.
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It is also important to understand how each person wants to use their complex. FC Porto's academy in Maya will focus on youth teams and can also host second league matches, with the main team remaining at the current Olival training centre. The André Villas-Boas car will centralize the club's professional teams (senior, second team, U-19 team and future women's teams), and move the youth teams to the current training centre.
Maya with double fields
The most notable element that distinguishes it “with the naked eye” is its size. The academy presented by Pinto da Costa will include ten lawns with formal measurements and lighting, twice that proposed for CAR in Olival. Furthermore, the complex in Maya will also have a small stadium with a capacity of 2,000 people, as well as 72 double rooms for youth at different levels. The residences also have study areas and other common spaces.
In addition to the five stadiums previously mentioned – one of which will have a seating capacity of 2,000 – the CAR proposed by Andre Villas-Boas will have a pavilion dedicated to sports, with the project indicating that there will be 48 rooms available to the team. Team structure. Professionals. The former coach's list focused on providing all conditions to welcome the main team and the rest of the professional levels.
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FC Porto awaits auction
Land is another one of the differences at the beginning of construction. At the time of writing, FC Porto does not own any plot of land for the Maya Academy, but it is practically certain that at the end of April, the total area of 23 hectares will be on the “Dragon” side.
The municipality of Maya will put 14 hectares up for auction, with FC Porto already securing the purchase of the remaining nine hectares from construction company Alexandre Barbosa Borges (ABB), owner of the adjacent land, if the municipal land is secured. It is not expected that Porto supporters will bid at the public auction, as the land is designated for the construction of a sports complex. The basic value of the lots at auction is 3.36 million euros (23 euros per square meter), and the amount that will be paid to ABB for the remaining lots is not yet known.
On the part of Villas-Boas, the land allocated to the Central African Republic in Olival is already guaranteed. The former coach signed a purchase and sale contract worth 3.85 million euros, adding that in the event of electoral defeat, he would be willing to make this land – owned by the Amorim family – available to FC Porto. The new car will be located approximately 500 meters from Porto's current training center in Vila Nova de Gaia, with Andre Villas-Boas championing the geographical proximity between the youth teams and the main team.
In total, the land in question has an area of 190,000 square meters and has a miscellaneous classification in the Vila Nova de Gaia Municipal Master Plan, including environmental infrastructure. Therefore, the construction area will be smaller in this first stage.
Olive Grove is more “affordable” – but without financing
Let us now take a look at the accounts offered to Porto members. According to the list of André Villas-Boas, it is estimated that the cost of building the Central African Republic will range between 30 and 35 million euros, but, as the candidate for CFO, José Pereira da Costa, admitted, it is a source of financing for the project. The complex has not yet been determined.
In the case of FC Porto's management, the figure given for the construction of the space in Maya is around 40 million euros, and it is certain that the academy will cover a wider area and contain more infrastructure. For the excavation work needed to start construction, FC Porto has already committed to paying €6.8 million to ABB.
when?
Once you know the details and costs, it's time to consider deadlines. At this point, only the projections for Andre Villas-Boas' car are known, as key dates for the academy's Maya project have not been given in the first phase. The candidate expects the complex to be fully operational in December 2026.
What do they say about the other?
Since the academy in Maya is a project presented by the president of FC Porto and with contracts already signed, Andre Villas-Boas admits that if he wins the election, he will analyze the manager's project “in a strict and careful way”, promising to preserve the best interests of the club.
Pinto da Costa shows a more decisive stance. Classifying Villas-Boas' plan as buying “sites on the other side of the river”, the historic leader has yet to publicly comment on the former coach's offer to make the promissory note signed on his behalf available to FC Porto.
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