João Vale e Azevedo

João António de Araújo Vale e Azevedo (born 17 May 1957) is a Portuguese former lawyer who was the 31st president of sports club S.L.

[5][6] On 6 November, Vale e Azevedo declared three contracts between Benfica and Olivedesportos (Controlinveste) void and announced that he would take the case to court.

The contracts, which were related to static advertising and broadcasting rights of Benfica football matches, had been signed on 28 March 1996 by his predecessor, Damásio.

Eight days later, Vale e Azevedo signed an agreement protocol with SIC for the broadcasting of the club's matches at the Estádio da Luz for the 1997–98 season.

[7] During Vale e Azevedo's three-year presidency, which ended on 27 October 2000,[8] Benfica accumulated huge debts and occasionally was not able to pay taxes or player salaries.

They investigated allegations that he had kept at least $1 million (£680,000) from the football transfer of Sergei Ovchinnikov to Alverca FC and that he had laundered cash through offshore banks in the British Virgin Islands.

[4][14] Vale e Azevedo was extradited to Portugal on 13 November 2012 and was sentenced to ten years in prison on 2 July 2013, for six crimes, and ordered to pay Benfica around €7 million for the money he kept from the transfers of footballers Scott Minto (£500,000), Gary Charles (£1,200,000), Tahar El Khalej ($850,000) and Amaral.