The second edition of the Thinking Football Summit has started! Pedro Proença, President of Liga Portugal, and Rui Moreira, mayor of the Porto Council, kicked off the event, which is taking place at the Super Bock Arena in Porto from today until next Saturday, after an opening speech by moderator Pedro Pinto.

Pedro Proença recalled the first edition of the Thinking Football Summit and promised an even better second edition. "A year ago, on this very stage, I said that there would be a before and after to the Thinking Football Summit. Time has proven me right. Last year's success has motivated us even more for this year's edition," said the Liga Portugal President.

After thanking the city of Porto and all the partners involved in the event, Pedro Proença highlighted the support of all the professional clubs. "During the three days of the event, we will have several presidents as speakers, sharing their experiences and the projects they have implemented," said the Liga Portugal president to an audience that included the heads of clubs, district and regional football federations, trade associations and former players, including former FC Porto players Beto Pimparel, Jorge Andrade and João Pinto.

Without forgetting the fans and an event designed with them in mind, Pedro Proença listed some of the issues that will be discussed, namely the contextual costs of professional football.

"According to the last yearbook, professional football generated more than 3,500 jobs, contributed more than 617 million euros to the GDP and paid more than 214 million euros in taxes. For the third year running, we have three teams in the group stage of the Champions League, competing on equal terms with the biggest clubs in the world, in a context of complete inequality compared to their opponents, especially in terms of taxation. Let's all make an effort to remove the obstacles that increase inequality in relation to our opponents," warned Pedro Proença.

Rui Moreira, for his part, highlighted the organisation of the Thinking Football Summit in Porto for the second year running. "This second edition will serve to consolidate the project. Congratulations to Liga Portugal and its president, Pedro Proença. Liga Portugal has an umbilical cord with the city of Porto. For a city that lives and breathes football, it's a privilege to host this event," said the mayor.

The Thinking Football Summit runs until next Saturday and will feature more than 200 speakers. Check out the full schedule on the event's website.