Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa

Jorge Nuno de Lima Pinto da Costa (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈʒɔɾʒ(ɨ) ˈnunu ˈpĩtu dɐ ˈkoʃtɐ]; born 28 December 1937 in Cedofeita, Porto) is a Portuguese businessman and the current President of Portuguese sports club Futebol Clube do Porto.

Pinto da Costa is a charismatic leader of FC Porto and a polarizing figure in Portuguese football. He is hugely popular among the followers of Porto, which he led to become one of the top European clubs. His long stint as leader of Porto, and his deep knowledge of the inner works of Portuguese football, earned him the nickname of the Pope (o Papa).

Years of domestic success – football

Domestic success continued to be a hallmark of FC Porto in subsequent years, and 1995 to 1999 became the highest note of Portuguese domestic competition ever. Following titles by Bobby Robson (1995 and 1996) and António Oliveira (1997 and 1998), Fernando Santos captured a record-setting fifth consecutive title in 1998/1999 season.

Porto later achieved second place in the championship but won the 2000 and 2001 Portuguese Cups (whilst reaching the European Quarter-finals in both seasons) only to replace Fernando Santos with Octávio Machado. Machado, however, only had a short stint at Porto. His replacement would be José Mourinho.

1999 Sweep

At the end of the 1998–99 season, FC Porto swept the Portuguese professional sports by winning all the competitions in which it had a professional team — football, handball, basketball, and roller hockey. These sports are the most important team sports in Portugal, plus volleyball, for which Porto has not had as a team for several years. It also won the swimming national championship, which won a total of five championship titles in the same year. In Portugal, this was called the "double penta," making reference to the five consecutive championships in football.

The José Mourinho era

José Mourinho joined Porto in January 2002, the club languishing in fifth place on the table. Mourinho would ensure a UEFA Cup berth for the following season, ending the league in third. The summer of 2002 saw much movement on the transfer market by Porto. The bets consisted mainly on Portuguese players playing in Portugal, yet to prove their true worth, as well as, for the most part, little-known foreigners. It most certainly worked and such was Mourinho's impressive work in Porto that he managed to lead the club to two glorious seasons in 2003 and 2004, wrapping up consecutive Portuguese titles and a UEFA Cup and Champions League in succession. During this period, Pinto da Costa remained somewhat in Mourinho's shadow and allowed him great freedom in all matters regarding football.

The post-Mourinho era

Victory in the Champions League final in 2004 meant that Mourinho left Porto, looking for another challenge in a bigger league. He was replaced by Luigi Delneri, who only lasted four weeks on the job. Next came Víctor Fernández, who qualified the club for the Champions League last 16 and won the Intercontinental Cup. He was sacked in late January 2005 following a home defeat to Sporting Clube de Braga, which saw the club lose the championship lead. José Couceiro took over and led the club to a final standing of second in the league. He subsequently resigned his post.

In late May 2005, Co Adriaanse, former coach of Willem II, Ajax, and AZ, was designated as the new Porto coach.

Under his guidance, Porto has predominantly become an attacking team and the results have been mixed with solid performances tained by severe defensive flaws. European results in particular were terrible and Porto suffered a humiliating exit from the UEFA Champions League in the groups stage.

Adriaanse, however, still guided Porto to a domestic double, wrapping up the title with two games to spare and beating Vitória de Setúbal for the Cup final.

Adriaanse resigned in the pre-season to the 2006–07 season, due to internal disputes with the clubs board, and was subsequently replaced by ex-Sport Lisboa e Benfica and Braga manager Jesualdo Ferreira, who had only just joined city-rivals Boavista that season, and left without managing a single competitive match for Boavista.

Club performance

Under his presidency, Porto won several titles in all sports levels and activities:

Football (Professional):

• 18 National Championships (1984/85, 1985/86, 1987/88, 1989/90, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1994/95, 1995/96, 1996/97, 1997/98, 1998/99, 2002/03, 2003/04, 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09, 2010/11).
• 12 Cups of Portugal (1983/84, 1987/88, 1990/91, 1993/94, 1997/98, 1999/00, 2000/01, 2002/03, 2005/06, 2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11).
• 15 Supercups (1982/83, 1983/84, 1985/86, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1992/93, 1993/94, 1995/96, 1997/98, 1998/99, 2000/01, 2002/03, 2003/04, 2005/06, 2009/2010).
• 2 European Champions Cups (1986/87, 2003/04).
• 2 Intercontinental Cups (1986/87, 2003/2004).
• 1 European Supercup (1986/87).
• 2 UEFA Cup (2002/03, 2010/11).
• 1 Liga Intercalar (2008/09).

Football (Juniors)

• 8 National Championships (1983/84, 1985/86, 1986/87, 1989/90, 1992/93, 1993/94, 1997/98, 2000/01).

Football (Juvenis)

• 10 National Championships (1981/82, 1984/85, 1985/86, 1987/88, 1988/89, 1994/95, 1997/98, 2001/02, 2002/03, 2008/09).

Football ("Iniciados")

• 6 National Championships (1985/86, 1989/90, 1996/97, 1997/98, 1999/00, 2001/02).

Football ("Infantis")

• 2 National Championships (1987/88, 1992/93).

Hand-ball

• 6 National Championships (1998/99, 2001/02, 2002/03, 2003/04, 2008/09, 2009/10).
• 1 League Cup (2003/04).
• 5 Supercup (1994/95, 1999/00, 2000/01, 2002/03, 2009/10).
• 1 Portuguese cup (1993/94).

Basketball

• 5 National Championships (1982/83, 1995/96, 1996/97, 1998/99, 2003/04).
• 7 Portuguese cup (1985/86, 1986/87, 1987/88, 1990/91, 1996/97, 1998/99, 2003/04).
• 5 League cup (1999/00, 2001/02, 2003/04, 2007/08, 2009/10).
• 5 Supercup (1987/88, 1996/97, 1998/99, 1999/00, 2003/04).

Rink hockey

• 19 National Championships (1982/83, 1983/84, 1984/85, 1985/86, 1986/87, 1988/89, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1998/99, 1999/00, 2001/02, 2002/03, 2003/04, 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/2007, 2007/2008, 2008/2009, 2009/2010).
• 11 Portuguese cups (1982/83, 1984/85, 1985/86, 1986/87, 1987/88, 1988/89, 1995/96, 1997/98, 1998/99, 2004/05, 2005/06).
• 14 Supercups (1983/84, 1984/85, 1985/86, 1986/87, 1987/88, 1988/89, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1995/96, 1997/98, 1998/99, 2004/05, 2005/06).
• 2 Champions league (1985/86, 1989/90).
• 2 Cup winners cup (1981/82, 1982/83).
• 2 CERS Cups (1993/94, 1995/96).
• 1 European Supercup (1986/87).

Volleyball

• 1 National Championship (1985/86).
• 2 Portuguese cups (1986/87, 1987/88).

Billiards

• 9 National Championships (1982/83, 1983/84, 1987/88, 1992/93, 1993/94, 1996/97, 1999/2000, 2001/02, 2002/03).

Billiards – Pool

• 3 National Championships (2000/01, 2001/02, 2002/03).

Boxing Senior "consagrados"

• 7 National Championships (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2001, 2002).

Boxing Senior "iniciados"

• 5 National Championships (1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003).

Swimming – Male

• 8 National Championships (1983/84, 1984/85, 1985/86, 1987/88, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1998/99).

Swimming – Female

• 10 National Championships (1983/84, 1984/85, 1985/86, 1988/89, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1991/92, 1993/94, 1997/98, 1999/2000).

Weight lifting

• 2 National Championships (2002, 2003).

Track and Field – Men

• 1 National Championship (2001)
• 1 Portuguese cup (1993/94).

The "Apito Dourado" affair and other controversies

Pinto da Costa, was one of the people investigated by the police as part of the Apito Dourado (Golden Whistle) sports corruption scandal in Portuguese football.

Pinto da Costa was formally accused of corruption on 12 June 2007, along with Reinaldo Teles, another member of FC Porto's administration.

In December 2006, his former partner, Carolina Salgado, published the book Eu, Carolina (I, Carolina), where she made serious accusations against Pinto da Costa (including match fixing, bribing referees with prostitutes, and ordering the beating of Gondomar councilman Ricardo Bexiga). Pinto da Costa denied all the accusations made by his former and claims she tried to use the book to blackmail him.

The 2007 film Corrupção is based on Salgado's account of this case.

The events that originated the Golden Whistle process where also analysized by the Professional Football League, in a so called 'Apito Final' process (Final Whistle). The League's disciplinary committee decided to subtract 6 points to FC Porto in 2007/2008 championship and suspend Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa of his position as chairman and SAD president for 2 years. The suspension was accepted by Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa which lead him away of football fields, press conferences and FC Porto events for the complete time, tough he has given interviews to the media and public declarations as FC Porto president for several times without any consequences.

Following the inquiry, Pinto da Costa vowed to appeal the two-year ban placed on him in order to clear his name as well as the club's. In a short interview, he stated: "We will not appeal the points deductions and we will still have a 14 or 15 point lead. But FC Porto's honour will be salvaged because I, personally, as president and a citizen, will appeal on Monday to the Justice Council. After this appeal, we will wait to see the truth come out and it will allow us to show there is no reason for FC Porto to have been penalised."

As of 3 April 2009, Pinto da Costa was cleared of any allegations relating to bribery or any case dealing with Apito Dourado.

Family

Pinto da Costa was first married at Paranhos, Porto on 6 April 1964 to Manuela Carmona Graça (born 15 April 1941 in Foz do Douro, Porto), a Licentiate in Historical Sciences, daughter of Alberto da Silva Graça (Foz do Douro, Porto, 18 May 1915 – Paranhos, Porto, 2 October 1975) and wife (m. Cedofeita, Porto, May 18, 1940) Noémia Armanda Branco Carmona (b. Chaves, 11 March 1914), daughter of the natural son of a paternal uncle of President António Carmona, by whom he had a son Alexandre Jorge Graça Pinto da Costa (b. Santo Ildefonso, Porto, 26 April 1967), who was one of his right-hand men for many years at the Futebol Clube do Porto but ended up turning his back on his father because his father allegedly owed him some money. The couple divorced on 23 December 1997 and he then married Filomena Morais, by whom he already had a daughter Joana Morais Pinto da Costa (b. 1987). Though the couple had divorced acrimoniously, they remarried in 2007.

The fourth of six children of José Alexandrino Teixeira da Costa (Foz do Douro, Porto, 9 June 1910 – Aldoar, Porto, 6 December 1977), a Merchant, and wife (m. Cedofeita, Porto, 15 November 1932) Maria Elisa Bessa de Lima de Amorim Pinto (São Mamede de Infesta, Matosinhos, 15 May 1913 – 14 November 1997), one of his brothers is José Eduardo Pinto da Costa, one of Portugal's foremost experts in Legal Medicine, and former director of Porto's Legal Medicine Institute.