João Vale e Azevedo
| João Vale e Azevedo | |
|---|---|
| Born |
17 May 1957 Lisbon, Portugal |
| Occupation | Former lawyer and former president of S.L. Benfica |
| Criminal charge | fraud |
| Criminal penalty | 11.5 years |
| Criminal status | On parole |
| Spouse(s) | Filipa Vale e Azevedo |
João António de Araújo Vale e Azevedo (born 17 May 1957) is a former Portuguese lawyer convicted of fraud, who was the 31st president of S.L. Benfica.
On 31 October 1997, Vale e Azevedo was elected as the 31st president of Portuguese club S.L. Benfica, succeeding Manuel Damásio, in the second most contested election in the club's history. He won the elections with 51.5% of 19,824 votes. Soon after, he signed Graeme Souness as coach of the football team. One year and a half later, Souness left the club and stated: "Vale e Azevedo lies when he looks in the eyes. Be careful, this man is dangerous".
On 6 November, Vale e Azevedo declared void three contracts between Benfica and Olivedesportos and announced he would take the case to court. The contracts, which were related to static advertising and broadcasting rights of Benfica football matches, had been signed on 28 March 1996 by his predecessor, Damásio. Eight days later, Vale e Azevedo signed an agreement protocol with SIC for the broadcasting of Benfica matches at the Estádio da Luz for the 1997–98 season. On 8 February 1999, Benfica signed a contract with SIC for the broadcasting rights of all home matches in the league between 1999–2000 and 2003–04 seasons. On 2 November 2000, the three contracts with Olivedesportos were declared void in court.
During his three-year presidency that ended on 31 October 2000, Benfica accumulated huge debts and occasionally was not able to pay taxes or player salaries. Moreover, the football team did not win any silverware. Some of his highlights were the "discovery" of coach José Mourinho and the cycling team's Volta a Portugal victory in 1999. Vale e Azevedo was succeeded by Manuel Vilarinho.
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