"Simultaneously with the ongoing construction of this project, the local authority has a new accessibility plan, which will be open for tender, so that everything is ready when the academy is finished. Getting here is not easy," said the outgoing financial director of SAD dos 'dragões', Fernando Gomes.

FC Porto promoted a visit to the land located in the parishes of Nogueira e Silva Escura and São Pedro Fins, where some excavators are already working on its deforestation, in partnership with ABB, with a view to building the academy, one of the electoral measures of Pinto de Costa's re-election bid for the club's presidency.

"We will get here from Estádio do Dragão in 15 minutes, always via main roads. Accessibility is very important, because 2,000 people are expected on match days and between 600 and 700 on normal days. The architect Manuel Salgado was FC Porto's choice to develop and implement the academy project, but he was also hired directly by the Câmara da Maia to draw up the urban development plan for an almost abandoned urban area," stressed Fernando Gomes.

On 16 April, in a public auction held at the Maiata local authority, FC Porto sealed the acquisition for 3.36 million euros (ME) of 14 of the almost 23 hectares of land, which is included in the Maia Metropolitan Park project, 9.3 of which belong to ABB, to which an earthmoving contract was awarded for 6.89 ME.

"The expected construction period is one and a half years. It has already started and is in countdown. The Câmara da Maia also expects the accessibility to be ready by that deadline. When the space is inaugurated, everyone will come through the new access routes," he said, at a time when the project is surrounded by the A3 and A41 motorways.

The visit was also witnessed by directors Luís Gonçalves and Vítor Baía and by Pinto da Costa, who marked the 42nd anniversary of his first inauguration with praise for the "cherry on top of the cake" savoured by the club's board of directors at the end of its term.

"It is the most necessary work and the one that will give the most strength to the club and its football teams. As it can accommodate 140 young people, it is easier to attract those who are not from FC Porto, because they will be magnificently installed. This is not a work for me or for my board of directors, who are ending this term with a cherry on top of the cake. It is important for the future of FC Porto and for the athletes who want to play here, but who often went to other clubs due to lack of facilities. It is not a utopia, but it is a dream and I usually wake up with my dreams fulfilled," he said, four days before the electoral act.

In addition to Casa do Dragão and a sports technical area, the project includes a mini-stadium to host II Liga and youth team matches, with 2,000 covered seats, plus nine official-sized grass pitches and one for seven-a-side football.

The elections for the FC Porto governing bodies for the four-year period 2024-2028 are being contested by three candidacies, led by Pinto da Costa (list A), André Villas-Boas (B), former coach of the football team, and Nuno Lobo (C), businessman and teacher, also including an independent list for the Superior Council led by Miguel Brás da Cunha (D).

The electoral act will take place on Saturday, between 09:00 and 20:00, at Estádio do Dragão, in Porto, at a time when Pinto da Costa is serving his 15th consecutive term, since 1982, and holds the status of the director with the most titles and longevity in world football.

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