Bruno de Carvalho released statement

CLUB STATEMENT

Publishing information brings with it obligations that some members of the press refuse to comply with.

For three years we have been discussing these poor practices. However, certain members of the press continue to act in this way, against all of the regulations of their profession.

In this light, we would like to clarify the following

1. Octávio Machado will not be replaced by anybody.

Octávio Machado will continue as the Director of Professional Football.

In addition to his role as the Fans Liaison Officer, André Geraldesis responsible for the Players and Families Support Office, which serves the professional football team and the club's other teams. The only change made to this office is that it will now cover youth football and the Sporting Olympics Office;

2. Virgílio Lopes will continue to lead the Sporting Academy and Youth Football.

Dr. Guilherme Pinheiro is the SAD administrator who is permanently at the Academy to assist in all issues relating to youth football, allowing for more efficient decision making and the strengthening of investment in the youth system..

This addition was made after being suggested by Virgílio Lopes

3. Hiring players is, as it always has been since the start of the current mandate, in the hands of the President, who is assisted when necessary by the administrators Dr. Guilherme Pinheiro, Dr. Carlos Vieira, Dr. Rui Caeiro and Dr. Sancho Freitas, as well as the SAD legal department;

4. No club has "stolen" Slimani or any other player from Sporting Clube de Portugal and no entity outside of the club decides the future of our players.

All such news articles are pathetic and are an attempt to create anxiety in the squad.

To "decide" the future of any Sporting Clube de Portugal player, clubs must first talk to the President. This of course will not be easy, due to his stance in defence of the club and his players. The players are totally focused on Sunday's match and such news articles have no effect on them;

5. Today an article about the possible substitution of Simeone for Jorge Jesus was released. The SAD administration have contacted Atlético de Madrid, who denied this. That is something that could also have been done by journalists.

Useful information for fans travelling to Braga

The club has released the following information for fans travelling to Braga on the last game of the season:
 
– The club's Organised Fan Groups should gather at Estádio José Alvalade by 09h00.

– Fans travelling in their own cars are advised to park near to the Braga Municipal Stadium, preferentially in the Dechathlon carpark.

Alvalade defender features in squad of 23

The Uruguayan national coach, Óscar Washington Tabárez, has named Sebastián Coates in his squad of 23 for the coming Copa America Centenario 2016, to be played in the United States from the 3rd to the 26th of June.

The Alvalade defender, who recently extended his stay with the club, will join up with other stars playing in Europe's big leagues such as Luis Suárez (Barcelona), Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint Germain) and Diego Godín (Atlético Madrid). 

Youth tournament to be held in Alvalade over the weekend

No visits will be held to Estádio José Alvalade on the weekend of the 14th and 15th of May.

The cancelation is due to the holding of the Summer Cup: an event bringing together hundreds of young Sporting athletes from around the country.

No visits will be held to the Club Museum during the months of May and June due to reconstruction work, with the Museum due to reopen on the 1st of July.

Defender at Alvalade for the 2016/2017 season

Sporting has extended its loan with the player Sebastián Coates.

Official statement: 

"Sporting Clube de Portugal, Futebol, SAD has reached an agreement with Sunderland AFC for the athlete Sebastián Coates for the extension of his loan until the end of the 2016/2017 season. Sporting SAD wishes Sebastián Coates the best of professional and personal success".

Coates arrived at Alvalade in the January transfer window and has played a crucial role at the heart of the Sporting defence, featuring 12 times already in Liga NOS and Europa League matches.

Tickets for the last match of the season on sale as of Wednesday

Sporting will travel to the Braga Municipal Stadium, for a 17h00 kick-off on Sunday the 15th of May, on Liga NOS matchda 34 (last game of the season).

Tickets are on sale as follows:

WEDNESDAY | Club Members with a Gamebox 2015/2016 and who have held a Member Gamebox for 13 years (100%)
THURSDAY | Club Members with a Gamebox 2015/2016 and who have held a Member Gamebox from 7 to 12 years
FRIDAY | Club Members with a Gamebox 2015/2016 and who have held a Member Gamebox for 1 to 6 years
SATURDAY | Club Members in general

Until tickets sell out, the Estádio José Alvalade ticket office will be open from 10h00 to 20h00.

€20 | Sector A16 + A15
€30 | Sector A14
€60 | Sector A13

A valid Member Gamebox must be shown on purchase of tickets (with April 2016 fees paid. Each Member Gamebox is valid for 1 ticket. Each person can bring a maximum of 4 cards.

Music festival in Estádio de Alvalade cancelled

The schedule for the Alvalade Rocks festival, promoted by Brian, was initially set for the 21st of May, in Estádio José Alvalade.

The schedule of the festival was designed around work to improve the pitch. However, studies undertaken since the announcement of the festival has indicated that further work will be needed.

In light of this development, the Club Brain have cancelled the Alvalade Rocks festival.

We take this opportunity to thank all fans who were going to take part. all tickets can be refunded at the Estádio José Alvalade ticket offices, as of 10h00 on Monday the 9th of May.

Olympic Office brings together athletes, coaches and managers

Sporting's Olympic Office organised a seminar in Alvalade this week, focusing on "Optimisation of Sports Performance".

Club president Bruno de Carvalho was on hand to open the session, leading ahead of a session with Tomaz Morais, Portugal's coordinator of rugby coach training and the country's female sevens team on the theme of "Motivation nad Leadership in High Performance Training". The former rugby star focused in on the importance of motivation and confidence, as well as the role of managers and coaches.

A second session followed with João Valente-dos-Santos, Sporting's roller hockey assistant coach and fitness coach. Geared around "Optimisation and Monitoring of High Performance", his presentation was based on scientific measurements and the importance of injury prevention.

The day finished with closing comments from Commanader Vicente de Moura, Sporting's vice-president for sports, stressing the importance of internal meetings within the club.

Group of 70 children meet their favourite stars

Estádio José Alvalade hosted a group of children from Cantanhede, in the district of Coimbra this weekend, in a visit attended by Rui Patrício and Bruno César.

For the Sporting goalkeeper, the youngsters had more than earned the meeting with their favourite stars, after traveling 219km to the Portuguese capital. “This type of initiatives are really important for the kids. Being a fan of a club is something that starts when we are young. It is really special for us as players to be with them when they visit the stadium and the museum", said Rui Patrício at the end of the visit.

The Cantanhede Primary School's coordinator, Maria do Céu Pinto, also enjoyed the day: "It was an hour to meet President Bruno de Carvalho, with Rui Patrício and Bruno César. We are really thankful. Most of the kids are in their first year of school and they had never been anywhere near the players before. We are really happy with Sporting having accepted our visit."

Partnership with ECADInt for the construction of ten facilities

Following on from Canada and South Africa, the Sporting Academy Schools have now arrived in China! Through a partnership with the company ECADInt, a total of ten Sporting Academy Schools will be built around the world's most populous nation.

The partnership was officially signed off this morning in Estádio José Alvalade, signaling a giant step for Sporting on the international stage. “This is an important day for us. We want to show people the real dimension of this Club and this is confirmation that the world sees the value of Sporting. We are a global club, with Members and fans around the world and this is the result of the hard working people have been putting in. Now in Asia, the first step has been taken in the heart of China", said the Sporting President Bruno de Carvalho at the signing, continuing: “We have been looking to develop the Sporting brand abroad and the construction of Sporting Academy Schools in China and this partnership with ECADInt really contributes to that. This link between our two countries is massively important. China is developing football and their government is really backing the sport. Sporting is a strategic partner for training good local players to team up with the really good names who are already playing in China."

The Ballo d'Or winners Cristiano Ronaldo and Luís Figo are both products of the famous Alvalade youth system, acting as the benchmark for all promising young stars learning the trade at the Sporting Academy Schools.

“Cooperaiton between Portuguese and Chinese companies has been increasing and Portuguese football is really relevant. The Sporting Academy Schools are really good and the players who come out of them are known for their quality. This partnership leaves football in China on a good footing for the future", explained Xu Weili, Chinese Consul, in a backing reaffirmed by the president of ECADInt Portugal, Lin Han: "We wanted to being together people's desire to develop sport in China with Sporting's knowledge. Investment helps develop football in our country, but only the knowledge and talent of this Club can make it brilliant."

President Bruno de Carvalho, who will take advantage of Sporting's Europa League visit to Moscow (26th of November) to travel to Beijing to take part in a similar ceremony, went on to explain the difference between the Sporting Academy Schools and other youth systems around the world, paving the way for initiatives like the partnership with ECADInt: “The main focus of the agreement is building ten Academy Schools in China and we will be working on other initiatives too. ECADInt are 100% with us and contrary to other clubs, Sporting doesn't give its brand to anybody, we just work with local partners. That allows us to visit the spaces which we have built on a regular basis. We follow our Academies closely and that makes the difference. It is really important for Chinese footballers that we pay attention to the players at the Academies and one of the most important vectors is promoting the development of players with our know-how, but we will also be working with the coaches and teachers. We are open to exchange programmes with players from the Sporting Academy Schools in China, like we have done with the Toronto Academy for example."

“A lot of national and international clubs would like to be sitting here signing this partnership. Our policy focuses on training and Sporting will carry on to be a reference in the area. Training is in our DNA and that is why people recognise our capacity. this is a really important day for our Club and for Portugal, because Sporting is an ambassador for this country and we will continue to be", finished the Alvalade boss.