A long story short.

In 1982 Pinto da Costa ascend to the presidency of F.C. Porto and from then on Portuguese football as never the same again.

Even his rise to the power is surrounded by controversy, after a group of players, had gone on strike against the manager to force elections at the club.

From then on the football, that had been dominate by the two powerhouses of the country, Benfica and Sporting Lisbon start to shift to the hands of unscrupulous people capable of doing anything to fill their pockets with filthy money.

The all operation has based in three main steps; The psychological, in which the Porto leaders start to turn, good northern people against the south, by make them believe the south had taken from then the god given right for more money, better jobs, better education, etc. (pretty much like Hitler did with the German people). Like those problems weren’t spread through out the country. This sparkle a wave of violence, through the football, that remains today; the economic in which a system has installed to bribe referees, politicians, police officers, judges and whoever had the power to influence the game or not care about it. That was achieved with the inflation of very doubtful quality players whom were brought very cheap and sold for millions and by drug smuggling; the sexual “favours” were the third step, if you can not be bribe by money a lovely par of Brazilian legs will do even better job. This was carried out in brothels, own by Reinaldo Teles, vice-president of Porto. Prostitution is illegal in Portugal by the way, but they haven’t been punished for those crimes either.

It still is very good Porto supporters and some of then that work or were involve with the club, if they wanted to become clean, the bastards of Porto leaders did not have any problem in throwing “the dogs at then”. Ordering beatings and carry out live threats are the most common practices.

As Oscar Cruz, former Porto director, once sad in an interview.

Oscar Cruz: - TO defend FCP’s interests, he (Pinto da Costa) is capable of anything….

All that dropped like a bomb, and proved to be true after some telephone hacking have been publish on “You Tube”, involving referees, referee association, presidents of several clubs and at the centre of all Pinto da Costa or personal ordered to carry out his orders. Those phone hackings were even assessed in the court of law but were consider evidence-infringing material and unlawful because they were not order by a judge, despite been regarded as genuine and true prove of corruption.

Those atrocities have became very sophisticated this days but be sure they continuum to happen even at the European level, or do you think Porto won the UEFA and the Champions League in 2003 and 2004 because they were the really the best time? Do you think it were a coincidence to play Celtic and Monaco in the two finals? Resting key players in the domestic league, a clear goal disallowed to United were just two reasons way they could reach to finals.

The list could go on and on but I would end up righting more words in this post then Tolstoy wrote in is novel “War and Peace”.If you do not believe and if you know any Portuguese person that is not a Porto supporter ask then if this is true or not. They will tell you exactly the same.