Bruno de Carvalho reveals his confidence for the three points this weekend in Madeira

Speaking at the Leões da Madeira Sporting Supporters' Club in a hosted lunch this weekend, president Bruno de Carvalho laid out his expectations for a run of good results, starting in Madeira: "It is great to be with the fans. It is always really special to come to Madeira and I am confident that this will be an important day for us to start the second half of the season. Let's get a turnaround started in Madeira. I was elected by the fans to work and I am not going to start speaking about the elections. I am fully aware of the responsibility we have and of the frustration the fans are feeling right now. We promise to to work as hard as possible and to never turn our back on what has to be done."

Pedro Madeira Rodrigues sets out his idea for the senior team coaching role

As part of his electoral programme presentation this week, Pedro Madeira Rodrigues announced that he plans to break ties with Jorge Jesus should he win the race for the Alvalade hotseat. The decision was taken following Jorge Jesus' inclusion in Bruno de Carvalho's Honour Commission.

"Bruno de Carvalho should not have invited him and Jesus should not have accepted it. However, that is what appears to have happened. Jesus should be focused on the team and not on the elections. The team has to be isolated from the electoral process, which is what I have been trying to get across. He chose his side and that has consequences. The immediate consequence is that Jorge Jesus will not be my coach when I enter office on the 4th of March", affirmed Madeira Marques, adding: "Jorge Jesus is a man of character and he will stand by his word. I have no doubt about that whatsoever."

To finish, the presidential candidate set out his idea for a replacement: "I will look for a coach who fits into a profile we have already identified and who can serve Sporting CP, to get the club winning again."

Bruno de Carvalho speaks in radio interview with TSF

Bruno de Carvalho spoke in an extensive radio interview with TSF this Friday, reflecting on everything from his proposals for the coming elections to how the season is shaping up on the pitch.

"Things are tough right now and we have to focus on the objective we still have. Contrary to our expectations, we have missed out in two competitions that we wanted to win. It is not true that I have an alterative to Jorge Jesus. I have said in several interviews over the last month that Jorge Jesus is my coach, even if we don't win...Like any fan, I feel frustrated, because we had other expectations for this season and things haven't gone well in terms of football. However, Sporting CP is must more than that. I don't see any other candidate speaking about the other sports we are involved in, or the profits we have been making, or the biggest ever transfers we oversaw. I don't want to belittle anyone, but I don't think a successful project should only be supported by football. Our other sports and financial restructuring are going well."

Speaking about the consequences of the recent pair of loses against Desportivo de Chaves, Bruno de Carvalho guaranteed: "We had four objectives, which have been set back to just one. That changes a lot of things. We took some gambles which did not work out, but I am not going to start pointing the finger in public. The players know perfectly well what is going on. At the start of the season we had a meeting with the coach and, independent of what happened in Chaves, we had already spoken about shrinking down the squad. The job had already been done and their is no issue in the dressing room. Our policy is that no fundamental players will leave."

Presidential candidate also sets out list for Alvalade board

The Sporting CP presidential candidate Pedro Madeira Rodrigues was in the auditorium at Estádio José Alvalade this Thursday to announce his electoral programme and the list of names who make up his team for the March the 4th elections.

"I am presenting a winning programme, which comes out of a thorough knowledge of the club where I grew up and became a man. I would also like to give a word of encouragement to our team. The current board wants to turn the players into scapegoats, but we as Sporting CP fans carry on believing in them. There is still a lot of football to play", said Madeira Rodrigues at the presentation.

The full electoral programme can be found here (Portuguese)

Pedro Madeira Rodrigues list:

President - Pedro Madeira Rodrigues
President of the General Assembly - Rui Morgado
President of the Fiscal and Disciplinary Council - Filipe Marques
List Head for Lions Council - José Moniz Pereira

Vice-President for Sports - Mário Saldanha
Vice-President for Finance - Pedro Rebelo Pinto
Vice-President for Institutional Relations - Victor Ferreira
Vice-President for Supporters' Clubs, Delgations and Affiliates - Rogério de Brito
Board Member for Club Members/Human Resources - Susana Cabral
Board Member for Organised Fan Groups - Bernardo Mendes
Board Member for Social Responsibility - Luís Figueiredo
Board Member for Marketing and Communication - João Alvim
Board Member for Club Estate - José Pedro Rodrigues
Board Member for Legal Affairs - Domingos Cruz

Alvalade president presents 111 points for his campaign

"Consolidation" is the key word of Bruno de Carvalho's election programme for this year's race for the Alvalade host seat.

A total of 111 points are included in the publication, equal to the number of years that have passed since the club's founding as of this year.

"As we said 4 years ago, Sporting CP needs a path to follow. We have done that with total conviction and we are on the right track. We are proud of the work we have done so far and we are dedicated to continue serving the club with the same effort, dedication and devotion which we have shown until now", said Bruno de Carvalho at the launch.

You can find the full programme here (Portuguese).

Bruno de Carvalho speaks out to the fans through his official Facebook page

"To put it bluntly, in terms of football this season has been a disappointment" is one of the strongest comments made by the Sporting CP president through his official Facebook account this week following two loses in Chaves. However, Bruno de Carvalho isn't about to throw in the towel.

Adrien and William Carvalho highlight the squad's confidence and clarify Bruno de Carvalho's visit to the dressing rooms

Alvalade skippers spoke with the press this weekend following Saturday's draw with Chaves, looking ahead to the coming Portuguese Cup tie against the same team.

"On Tuesday the only thing we can think about is winning. We know it will be a hard game against a well organised team, but we are motivated. We are all frustrated by bad results, but we have been putting the work in and we will carry on doing so", affirmed Adrien at the final whistle, followed by William Carvalho in the same tone: "We are all feeling motivated, despite not getting the result we wanted. Of course we feel frustrated, but I am sure we will respond well."

In relation to news in the press, the midfield pair guaranteed that nothing our of the ordinary took place in the dressing rooms at the final whistle with president Bruno de Carvalho. "Let me take the opportunity to clarify what is being said: the president came to the dressing room to show his dissatisfaction and as the captains of the team we spoke with him, that's all", said Adrien, with William adding: "While there are still points to win, we will believe in ourselves, because we are good enough. the president came to the dressing room to speak about the result, but it was a normal conversation. We listened to him and I am sure that on Tuesday we will go out there and get a good result."

Alvalade cheif visits Castelo Branco, Guarda, Foz Côa and Bragança

Bruno de Carvalho was again on the road this weekend before the first of two encounters against Chaves, visiting the Castelo Branco, Guarda, Bragança and Foz Côa Sporting Supporters' Clubs.

“I am here to spend some time with the fans. This is what I like to do most", said Bruno de Carvalho in his first top (photo below), before sitting down with the fans to share his thoughts.

In Castelo Branco, Bruno de Carvalho was invited to speak to a large group of fans: "Hopefully you will all be able to travel to Chaves, because we have two really important games coming up. Seeing that 50% of the crowd here are young people really shows that we are a different club. Most of you haven't seen Sporting CP win the league, but you don't let it shake your pride in being Sporting fans."

The Alvalade president also spoke about a recent report published by UEFA, highlighting the growth in spectator numbers in Alvalade last season: "I am not here as a candidate, or to speak about the elections. but I am proud to see the UEFA report that puts us in the top 10 in terms of increased spectator numbers and in the top 15 in terms of profit. I hope that our fans feel proud too and that they are happy with the work we have been doing."

Also travelling around the country was Sporting CP's kickboxing legend Fernando Fernandes, promoting his sport and recently published book.

Carlos Severino hosts announces his support during dinner in Lisbon

Sporting CP's former director of communication and former presidential candidate, Carlos Severino, organised a dinner in Lisbon this week to announce his support for Pedro Madeira Rodrigues' bid for office.

Pedro Madeira Rodrigues arrived during Carlos Severino's dinner speech, in which the former candidate noted: "We were in a position to present our candidacy, but in the best interests of the club I am with Pedro Madeira Rodrigues for his courage in running. Three candidates would only benefit those who are in power right now. He (Madeira Rodrigues) said a lot of things I identify with me and I will support his bid."

Alvalade president names list of running mates for the club's board of directors

Sporting CP president Bruno de Carvalho announced his running list for the coming elections, under the motto: "Sporting on the Right Path | Bruno de Carvalho | President 2017"

Vicente Moura again features as vice-president for sports, with Carlos Vieira for finance and António Rebelo again for Members, in addition to communication, expansion, Supporters' Clubs and marketing.

In relation to the other board members included, Rui Caeiro and Luís Gestas are again included for sports, in addition to Bruno Mascarenhas for Supporters' Clubs, José Quintela for communication and Alexandre Godinho for estate management. The new face is Luís Loureiro, strengthening communication. Jorge Sanches and Rita Matos are again in the list as substitutes.

In a statement on his official Facebook pace, Bruno de Carvalho reaffirmed his confidence in his team: "The team is united, cohesive and has turned in results which we are all proud of, so there is no need to make changes. This is my list for the Sporting Clube de Portugal board of directors. Every one of the names is a synonym for competency, confidence and above all else Effort, Dedication, Devotion and Glory. I know what I want: to carry on the Right Path. I also know that these are the right people for us to consolidate and grow even more."