Boavista have been administratively relegated to the fifth division of Portuguese football.
Boavista, the most decorated Portuguese football club after the “Big Three” (Benfica, FC Porto and Sporting), and their league title win in 2001, is the last time a club other than those three won the league.
Relegated To Tier Five
Despite finishing last in Liga Portugal last season, the Porto-based club Boavista will not play in Liga Portugal 2 next season.
Initially, due to financial irregularities, they were relegated to Portugal’s third division, but now have been placed even further down the pyramid by the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissiona.
Boavista’s Previous Off-Field Issues?
The last time that the club were relegated was back in June 2008. Coincidentally, this was also regarding issues off the pitch, as Boavista were relegated for their part in the Apito Dourado (Golden Whistle) match-fixing scandal.
Issues deepened for ‘Os Axadrezados’, as just a season later, they were relegated once again, withdrawing due to financial reasons.
That being said, after their former club President João Loureiro returned to the club after public pressure, Boavista was awarded a spot back in the Primeira Liga for the 2014–15 season.
This was after the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissiona (LPFP) awarded ‘Os Axadrezados’ the position after an appeal against the Golden Whistle ruling was upheld earlier that year.
In doing so, the club jumped two leagues back to Portugal’s top division, expanding the league to 18 clubs from 16 in the process. This was despite the club finishing fourth in the Third Division North Zone Promotion groups.
Since then, the Porto-based club has never been relegated, finishing as high as eighth in two consecutive seasons.
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Appointment of Gérard López
In October 2020, Boavista’s members approved Spanish-Luxembourgish businessman López’s investment in the club as an owner.
The 53-year-old is the co-founder of Genii Capital and also owns Ligue 1 club Lille OSC, after buying the club from then-president Michel Seydoux.
Lopez would later relinquish his shares in Lille in December 2020, buying another French club, Girondins de Bordeaux, just seven months later.
At the time, Lopez brought Bordeaux, the Ligue 1 winners as far back as 2009, to try and save the club from potential bankruptcy. This was due to the club’s former owners, King Street Capital Management, withdrawing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
That being said, this would massively backfire. Bordeaux would finish last in the 2021-22 Ligue 1 season.
This would also take a massive hit on potential revenue to a cash-strapped club. Matters almost got worse for the club with France’s financial watchdog in football looking to administratively relegate them to the third division, but Lopez was able to convince them otherwise.
But financial issues would further relegate the club due to Bordeaux filing for administration and handing in their licence as a professional club. This was not helped after the club amassed losses of more than £200m as reported by The Athletic.
Why Is This Relevant to Boavista?
The same issues that plagued Lopez’s Bordeaux now look to have the same issues at his other owned side. Their relegation to the fifth division would again not be due to on-pitch performances (despite their last-place finish in Liga Portugal), but due to an administrative failure.
This was their 11th consecutive season in Portugal’s top flight, an even more impressive feat considering the club was handed a lengthy transfer embargo by the governing body FIFA.
Moreover, the Porto-based side opted not to appeal the decision. Lopez had three days to complain about the issue.
Despite this, chairman Rui Garrido Pereira hoped to have a senior side compete by 2025/26, independent of Boavista’s current SAD.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Nuno Pires Veloso
Recording Date: 18.04.2025