Filipe Pinto Basto Soares Franco (born 11 March 1953 in Lisbon) was the 46th president of Sporting CP,[1] one of Portugal's biggest comprehensive sports clubs, second child and second son of Rui Guedes Soares Franco and Isabel Maria da Câmara Ferreira Pinto Basto (Noblemen of Coat of Arms – and a descendant of Louis, comte de Narbonne-Lara, of the Duke of Loulé and of Infanta Ana de Jesus Maria of Portugal).
[citation needed] After his "Project Finance" was defeated in general assembly, Soares Franco called for elections, saying he would not be a candidate in the presidential run.
Still, on 2 June, his proposal to the Project Finance was not approved by members of the club so he ended up not running for the Presidency.
[citation needed] On 5 July 2009 he was succeeded in the Presidential chair by José Eduardo Bettencourt who defeated Paulo Pereira Cristóvão.
[citation needed] He presented a candidateship to the Portuguese Football Federation on 7 September 2011[4][5] but withdrew on 4 October due to lack of support.