"It is the first goal of the complex's redevelopment, which is the basis for the club's sustainability in the coming years. I believe that it will have a very strong impact on the club's associative and social life. We intend it to be the largest sports and leisure complex in this area. This kick-off helped to solve the problems of the past and dispel a series of ghosts that hung over the institution, managing to achieve financial recovery, to look ahead and plan the future," he stressed, in statements to Lusa.

The store, from a well-known international retail chain, represented a total investment of around 12 million euros, in a partnership with Belenenses that also revitalised the entire area surrounding the Restelo Stadium, as well as a new garden on the roof of the supermarket, which was given the name Miradouro dos Rapazes da Praia.

"This is the kick-off. Belenenses has other plots that it must develop here. It has its sports park, the football pitches and, from here, it must accelerate as much as possible, with the help of Lisbon City Council, so that the other plots can be developed and the club's sustainability can be guaranteed," he reinforced.

The financial situation of the Cruz de Cristo club, currently playing in the II Liga, after several consecutive promotions, since the last Lisbon district division, is better, but Patrick Morais de Carvalho recognises the need to finance the SDUQ in order to be able to put Belenenses back in the top tier of Portuguese football.

"In terms of the economic and financial situation, the club has been cleaned up and is healthy. It always has recurring treasury problems, because it has a very intense sporting activity, but that is also Belenenses' strength. In the sports society, we will have to find a solution, because the big question is how we are going to put Belenenses in the I Liga. With its own resources alone, the path is very bumpy and difficult, as we are seeing this year in the II Liga. Therefore, we have to find a way to finance it," he stressed.

On their return to the professional championships, the 'blues' occupy, five rounds from the end, 17th and second-to-last place in the II Liga, with 23 points, three behind Feirense, in the play-off relegation place, and seven behind Oliveirense, the first team in the relegation zone.

"The work group is confident, the players are confident and the coach is too. If it were easy, it wouldn't be for us. We have the advantage in the head-to-head with Feirense and, therefore, it will be an open war until the end, at least with them. Our current goal is to look at the play-off. We are three points away and it will be until the end," the director warned.

The last few days have also been marked by the death of Manuel Andrade, at the age of 96, who was the only survivor of the Belenenses team that won the club's still unprecedented Portuguese championship title in the 1945/46 season.

"He was the last living witness of Belenenses as national champion. It is a moment of great sadness, also because he was someone who frequently came to the club and socialised with our veterans. He is a Belenenses legend, who has engraved his name in the club's history in gold letters," recalled the president, in the board since 2014.

Belenenses visit Oliveirense on Sunday, from 11:00, in a match counting for the 30th round of the Portuguese II Liga, at the Carlos Osório Stadium, in Oliveira de Azeméis, which will be refereed by Tiago Martins, from the Lisbon Football Association.

Leia Também: Belenenses bate Académico no Restelo e anima luta pela permanência (Portuguese version)