The Co-CEO of SL Benfica and the Managing Director of European Leagues were the speakers at the TFS Stage

Are we facing a turning point in football governance? It was under this premise that Domingos Soares de Oliveira, Co-CEO of SL Benfica, and Jacco Swart, Managing Director of the European Leagues, entered the Thinking Football Summit Stage, in a panel discussion moderated by Luís Vilar, sports commentator at CNN Portugal.

The first topic of discussion was the hypothetical existence of a European Super League, comprising the best clubs worldwide, where the two speakers analysed all its factors, as well as the benefits and disadvantages of the competition for the clubs, and the probability this competition to succeed.

Then, Domingos Soares de Oliveira addressed, in particular, the Portuguese clubs and the way they are much more involved in the decisions taken by UEFA and ECA (European Club Association), stating that, the Clubs involved in the European competitions generate more revenues, due to their performances in the competitions organised by the organism that governs European Football.

In addition, the Co-CEO of SL Benfica also shared this aggregating vision. " We can only evolve by working, all together, and consequently generate greater revenues and contribute to a growing evolution of Portuguese Football", leaving, at the same time, a path for the future:

"Can SL Benfica acquire a foreign club in the next five years? I would say it's not impossible," he concluded.

Last but not least, Jacco Swart addressed the audience to reflect on the democratization of football and the need for Portugal to adopt the centralization of media rights. The Champions League, Europa League and Conference League formats were also the subjects under discussion, especially in the search for alternatives to the existing models, in order to create more revenue and better distribution by the clubs.