«It is very important to correct the misinformation regarding my ability as a manager and my financial situation. I was at the helm of one of the largest companies in the world for 18 years [McDonald’s]. I started as general director in Portugal and became responsible for global franchising for the 125 countries where the brand is present. I concluded my career there by closing one of the biggest restaurant deals ever in Asia, worth more than 2 billion dollars. We are talking about significant numbers», he began by saying.
«Benfiquista fans need to understand that this company has a culture of enormous demand and you cannot have a path with successive promotions if you are not a good manager. If you don’t show results, you’ll be fired. It is this culture that I have and that I want to take to Benfica”, he added, then revealing the fortune he has accumulated, presenting his income statements since returning to Portugal in 2016.
«During my years there, I accumulated the conditions to have a financially comfortable life. That’s what I live for. I have accumulated wealth of around 23 million euros. I do this to restore my dignity and in the interest of Benfica fans, but these incomes do not embarrass me. They are the fruit of my work and this is why I am able to finance my campaign, which is overwhelmingly financed by me. The rest? By some friends. It is this income that allows me to run for president of Benfica, to have a clear conscience regarding its origin and what constitutes my financial comfort», he stated.
Income declaration numbers presented by Noronha Lopes. Photo: Noronha Lopes
Noronha Lopes also added that she started a career in the legal profession, highlighting, however, that it is not from that activity, nor from the various companies with which she collaborates – revealing the names of the companies TerraFirma, Footfall e SIBS –on which your financial independence depends. «I do this consultancy activity because I like it, in companies that I like and in projects that attract me. If there is a year that I want to do other things, I want to be in non-profit NGOs, I am. I can choose what I do throughout my life. Anyone who accumulates €23M does not need to work. Nowo It is the consultancy activity that I do that gives me financial independence.»
The candidate then addressed the losses of the company Vira Frangos, the target of investigation in the report: «It is a company in which I have a 22% stake, which I founded with two friends. The news that comes out about the company’s losses is biased and reveals a lack of financial rigor. Because these losses are the loans that the partners made to the company. In other words, it was the partners who put money into the company and made this decision because they had the financial capacity to do so. Our bank debt is just over 220 thousand euros and is being scrupulously fulfilled. We could have called other investors, but we didn’t want to be sharing a diamond with other people.”
«The company was considered, in 2022, the most innovative in retail in Portugal. This loss was foreseen. Everything is going according to plan and the wishes of the partners. The company’s results have been improving and in 2025 it will be even better, because we have already started the international expansion process. The partners invested, the company is following its normal path and, when the internationalization process begins, the results will appear. Only those who do not understand management at all consider that a company that makes losses in the first few years is unviable. That’s what the accountant who appeared in the report said.”
