Prime Minister of Portugal Luís Montenegro has come under fire after it emerged that the Portuguese government committed close to €20,000 for premium sports television access in official buildings, allowing ministers to follow football matches at public expense.
In a country synonymous with figures such as Eusébio, Cristiano Ronaldo and José Mourinho, close attention to the national game is hardly unusual among political leaders. Nevertheless, the disclosure that eight premium Sport TV subscriptions had been secured until August 2028 prompted unease, particularly given the overall cost involved.
The daily newspaper Correio da Manhã reported that the agreement, concluded last December with telecommunications provider NOS, allowed matches to be broadcast on seven screens within the Palace of São Bento, the prime minister’s official residence, and on an additional television located in the government’s office space at the adjacent parliament building.
The scale of the expenditure drew particular scrutiny at a time when Portugal has been coping with weeks of destructive storms that have inflicted damage amounting to millions of euros. Media coverage of the contract quickly fuelled criticism of the government’s priorities.
The government’s general secretariat, the administrative body responsible for supporting the executive and which handled the negotiations, initially sought to temper the controversy by noting that the state has maintained eight premium Sport TV subscriptions since 2017. The arrangement, it said, dated back to a period when António Costa was serving as prime minister.
However, the financial terms have shifted significantly. While the government paid €1,170 for the subscriptions last year, the most recent contract envisaged an annual outlay of €7,023 for the same package from 2026 onwards, covering broadcasts of all Primeira Liga, Europa League and Champions League matches.
Montenegro, who is known as a supporter of FC Porto, responded on Wednesday by instructing that the agreement be revised. In a subsequent statement, the general secretariat confirmed that the monthly charge had been reduced from €585 to €146, bringing the total cost through 2028 to roughly €5,000.
As a consequence of the renegotiation, access to the premium service will now be limited to two subscriptions, one installed at the prime minister’s residence and the other within parliament, replacing the broader coverage originally envisaged.
