Saturday was a turning point in the history of FC Porto. The long queues that formed from early morning at the Estádio do Dragão hinted at what would be the most competitive election in the club's history. And the predictions were not wrong.

The polls had not yet closed and it was already known that history had been made. With accusations of influence on the final results by Pinto da Costa and polarization by Nuno Lobo, the blue and white club announced in the middle of the afternoon that more than 18,000 members had voted by 4 pm. But the turnout did not stop there.

Between 9 am and 8 pm on Saturday, 26,876 FC Porto members voted in these elections. Not even the rain, nor the delayed start of voting stopped this historic result in the elections for the presidency of the Dragons.

PSP presence in the counting and the end of an era

Once the voting period for the three candidates in this race was closed - Pinto da Costa, André Villas-Boas and Nuno Lobo - it was time to start counting the countless votes to find out if we were facing a change of scenery or the continuity of the reign. But this part did not start without first requesting the presence of the PSP. Shortly after 9 pm, the process started. It had been promised that it would be quick, but it was not until the early hours of the morning that the official results were known.

The votes were being counted for just over an hour and a half when the end of Pinto da Costa's reign at FC Porto was confirmed. It was up to Vítor Baía to admit that List A, led by the now former president, had been defeated in the election. But the night was still long and promised some disagreements until the end of this long day. In the meantime, Nuno Lobo also left a message to the former 'commander' of the Porto players.

If the party was already taking place in the Agramonte area, where Villas-Boas was waiting for the official results, at the Estádio do Dragão there was applause... and conflicts. Shortly after Vítor Baía admitted defeat, Pinto da Costa left the place where he had been practically all day. Without making any statements to the journalists, the 31st president of Porto left the Dragão applauded by dozens of fans and with a smile on his face, despite the defeat in the elections. Amidst this applause, the PSP was forced to intervene to prevent an attempted invasion of one of the garages of the Estádio do Dragão by several pro-Pinto da Costa fans.

But it was no longer possible to contain what was a 'cry' of revolt from the members of FC Porto and which brought a new era to the club from Invicta. After Pinto da Costa's list admitted defeat, and after José Pedro Pereira da Costa, the new strongman of Porto's finances, and Rui Pedroto spoke of a victory with overwhelming contours, here comes the first speech of the new president of Porto

"FC Porto free again", but without forgetting the past of victories

André Villas-Boas became the 32nd president in the history of FC Porto, by winning Saturday's elections for the social bodies, breaking a cycle of 15 terms and 42 years of Pinto da Costa. And the official results were not yet known when he left his first words as the new top leader of the Porto players.

After long hours of waiting, the former Porto coach, whose first image after the victory was with the legendary number 13 shirt of Juary, spoke to dozens of blue and white fans who were present at his campaign headquarters, in the Boavista area.

Villas-Boas assured that the club "is free again" and that "a new and victorious page is beginning to be written". Without forgetting Pinto da Costa, whom he thanked "for everything he gave to FC Porto", the new president of FC Porto said he was "happy, proud and honored" by this victory, promising "courage and hard work" in a "house that has to be tidied up, structured and organized."

"I hope to live up to expectations: to win, to conquer titles and to sustain the club for the future. This is a historic night, we saw the strength of FC Porto, a club that is alive", assured Villa>