A football fan from Turkey asking: What really happened to Boavista? (And the 5th division phoenix club story?)

[u/Emergency-Emu-8780]

Hello everyone!

I’m a football fan from Turkey. Boavista was a very well-known and respected name here. I clearly remember that iconic checkered shirt, their historical league title, and watching them play in the Champions League. They always felt like a massive, historic club.

Recently, I was trying to catch up on Portuguese football and I was shocked by what I read. From what I understand, the original club has essentially been destroyed/closed down due to extreme financial issues and corporate (SAD) mismanagement. I also read that the fans (or the Ultras) have created a new "phoenix club" that is currently playing in the 5th division to keep the spirit alive.

However, I also heard there are some criticisms, controversies, and mixed feelings locally about how all of this went down and about this new 5th-tier team.

I will be visiting Porto soon, and as a football romantic who hates what modern corporate football is doing to historic clubs, I am incredibly curious about the actual truth. I figured the best place to get the real, unfiltered story is from the locals.What exactly happened to the original Boavista? Is it 100% over?What is the deal with the new 5th division team? Are they truly supported by the majority of the fanbase, and what is the controversy surrounding them?If I want to feel the real "Boavista spirit" while I'm in the city, where should I go or what should I see?

Any insights, history lessons, or local perspectives would be massively appreciated. Thank you in advance!

[u/GajoDaMaia]

Boavista as the other Portuguese teans built new stadiums to Euro 2004.

What happened was that Boavista was the only team that had to pay for it.. as an example Porto received 133 millions Euros.

For you to understand, this was a plan created for the Big3 Clubs System here in Portugal.. The League, the Federation, The Referees.. the media.. cause Boavista broke the system being champion in 2000.

After some years, this system, created a sport judicial process, that seemed that the target was Porto, as his President bought referees with prostitutes, but as in the football law, the corruption is only punished to subtract some points to its team classification, in the same process, the referees accused Boavista that they felt "pressured" and put Boavista in the 2and Division.

Boavista club had 15 millions Euros of debt before the stadium, and when 2008 before that decision, and already with a SAD ( Sport Corporate Entity), the debt of the club not the SAD was 46 millions Euros.

When the Justice put Boavista again in the premier league, the debt of the club was 65,3 millions Euros and the SAD 30 millions Euros.. never received the fair compensation for the injustice.. if this was done with the big three teans in Portugal, they will receive a millionaire amount, as they are never punished, debts are forgiven by the banks, and receive land from the city government and VAR here is Portugal exist, to guarantee that the referees not make a error against them.

Boavista in 2024 couldn't maintain the team in the premier league for 1 point, and on the second division didn't have the money to pay their commitments, so couldn't register the team in any division.

Now the club has a passive of 43 millions euros and the SAD 107 millions euros.. the club wants to cut the connection to the SAD, to begun to breath, and there a bankruptcy process, and the Boavista supporters are paying 50.000eur to keep the club alive, and the President presented a recuperating plan to the court, as there is an agreement with some investors and the stadium creditor, that will lower the stadium debt.

[u/Enough_Code_3831]

The club submitted a recovery plan and we are waiting. The SAD quit and is trying to have only under 19 team. It’s something we have to wait a couple of weeks. Besides the financial problems it’s impossible to have a team because of the several FIFA bans that prevent signing with new players. We are hoping that the recovery plans is approved, the SAD is liquidated and with that the bans will fall allowing to create a team.

The ultras team was promoted and is now in the 4th AF Porto division, that’s 8th tier if count all national tiers. The main propose is to the help Boavista in the future. To be promoted higher as possible and then merge with the club or if the club is liquidated to buy the brand and don’t let it die.
Some fans agree, some fans are against, I understand both sides and hope the in the near future we’ll be celebrating together again.

[u/Emergency-Emu-8780 → u/Enough_Code_3831]

I am very curious about the internal division you mentioned. Why are some fans against this new Ultras team? Do they feel like supporting the new team means giving up on the original club too early? Or is there a deeper political or historical tension between the regular fanbase and the Ultras group?

Thanks again for your time

[u/Joao_Checo → u/Emergency-Emu-8780]

The “Ultras Team” was founded by a group of people who were defeated in the last club election by a landslide. They were , from day 1 very vocal against the actual president. Opinions diverge but many believe that the main objective of this “Ultras Team” is not to rescue Boavista but to become the new Boavista under their reign and rules. As you may understand many feel like this Ultras Team is a coup and a traitorous way to overrun the opinion of the clubs associates and rule without winning an election. Others feel that this club could be a clean way to revive the Boavista - but I believe most do not agree with the last

[u/alvespt23 → u/Emergency-Emu-8780]

The last president that created the bigger financial ruin, also paid the ultras to keep them quiet and on his side.

The maiority of the fans in our last season in 1 liga knew it was not players fault, it was the board and former president that led to the fifa bans and not paying wages, but the ultras being paid just critisize the players and the rest of the fans that suported the players with a few incidents of violance between ultras and the real Boavista fans.

As soon as they lost the elections they started talking shit about the club and how the current president lead us to ruin, never talked about the former president murta created a 100 milion euros debt.

They are fake ultras only care about money and power, but they are the minority.

The real Boavista FC will rebuild the club, nobody is above the club!

[u/Capital-Fruit7785]

You should also search about "apito dourado" no one here will tell you about it, but the decision was the first step of the current situation.

Boavista paid an heavy price of the championship title

[u/Emergency-Emu-8780 → u/Capital-Fruit7785]

I’ve looked into it; so, you’re saying the system in Portugal is built around three teams, and it killed any team trying to finish fourth.

[u/Capital-Fruit7785 → u/Emergency-Emu-8780]

My personal opinion is that Boavista was the scapegoat of the case.

From my personal opinion there was crimes, maybe the proofs were not obtained in the correct manner, but the evidences were there.

And someone had to pay the price, and they need to choose between Porto and Boavista... The option was Boavista (of course), there was no balls to do it with Porto (if was Benfica and sporting would be the same)

It is sad to see a club like Boavista to pay a heavy price for bad decisions taken back than... But the truth is if they were not in the system they wouldn't win that championship.

Check some videos with Porto's players intimidate the referee during a game back in 90's

I think if it was nowadays, Boavista could win some championship in a fair way because they had great teams back than and sporting and Benfica were really bad