The Secretary of State for Youth and Sports, João Paulo Correia, admitted that there is a scenario of “abuse of trust and usurpation of powers” in the Portuguese Judo Federation, on the part of the former president. In a hearing requested by the PSD and PS parliamentary groups, the official made it clear that the denouncements made and the statements made on Tuesday could configure this situation and give rise to a new investigation of the former leader.
“What we heard yesterday [terça-feira] it was a set of denunciations that could constitute usurpation of powers and abuse of trust by the former president of the Judo Federation, with the connivance of the current leadership of the FPJ. And we also heard complaints about the absence of a technical department within the federation, revealing that the former president performed functions beyond the functions of the presidency, technical functions. Inevitably, they will give rise to a new inquiry, which will have to be swift and conclusive”, underlined the SEDJ.
João Paulo Correia recalled that the supervisory role belongs to the Portuguese Institute of Youth and Sports (IPDJ), which has done so, and that the Government guarantees that the IPDJ has the necessary conditions to exercise this function.
“The entity that supervises is the IPDJ, the Government has to ensure that the IPDJ has conditions for this inspection activity, but, in this specific case, after the open letter [as denúncias de um grupo de sete judocas em Agosto do último ano]I understood that I should exercise a diplomacy function, with the federation and athletes”, he recalled.
At the hearing, the official sought not only to describe the process, from the attempt at dialogue, to the inquiries and audit of the Portuguese Judo Federation, which is still ongoing, on the part of the IPDJ, but also to underline the “limitation” of the Secretary of State, not advancing , in favor of Olympic preparation, with a withdrawal of public utility status from the FPJ.
“The ability to withdraw public utility will always be of last resort, which will prevent the State from financing the modality […]. Our main objective was to guarantee support for the sport one year and three months before the Paris 2024 Games. Despite this serious crisis, from the outset we sought to secure funding, so that the athletes, those who exercised the right to denounce, would not have the preparation for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in question”, he justified.
For the official, the crisis in judo, which “discredits the modality”, is also due to a lack of common sense, which extends to the bodies in charge of the Portuguese Judo Federation, to whom he wove harsh criticisms of collusion with Jorge Fernandes, the former president , dismissed in December.
“What was always lacking was common sense, this would not have happened if the General Assembly had rejected Jorge Fernandes’ list [a uma recandidatura, que o tribunal desconvocou]”, said the Secretary of State. “If there is common sense on the part of the governing bodies, the matter will be resolved in the next minute. Because it is clearly public that ex-president Jorge Fernandes is, with his behavior and attitudes, and with some connivance, imploding the prestige of a modality that helped to affirm national sport on the international scene”, he concluded.