Portuguese Football Leaders Urge Legal Changes for Independent Refereeing

Portuguese football leaders want an independent body running professional referees by the 2027/28 season, pending urgent legislative changes in Lisbon.

The 3rd edition of the Conselho de Presidentes gathered leaders from 22 local associations, six class associations, the Portuguese Football Federation, and Liga Portugal in Braga. The assembly resulted in a formal appeal to the Government and the Assembly of the Republic to rewrite sports legislation promptly.

The primary goal is establishing the Entidade de Gestão da Arbitragem Profissional, an independent entity operating outside the Portuguese Football Federation structure. Officials aim for the new agency to launch by the 2027/28 campaign if lawmakers update the necessary statutes in time.

A pilot project outlining the proposed refereeing model debuted during the Saturday summit. The framework combines contributions from the federation, the Referees Council, Liga Portugal, and regional district associations.

“The project, which junta os contributos da FPF, do Conselho de Arbitragem, da Liga Portugal e das Associações Distritais e Regionais, prevê a criação de um modelo independente para a gestão da arbitragem profissional, mas a sua operacionalização só será possível com a alteração do quadro legislativo, designadamente a Lei de Bases da Atividade Física e do Desporto, Regime Jurídico das Federações Desportivas, e as respetivas adequações dos Estatutos da Federação Portuguesa de Futebol e da Liga Portugal,” the federation said.

Delegates also discussed external ambitions during the gathering, agreeing that the federation should seek the presidency of the União das Federações de Futebol de Língua Portuguesa.

Participants reviewed the ongoing assessment of national football financing led by a specialized working group. The next Conselho de Presidentes is scheduled for May 29, 2026.