"We carry, with honour, the good name of Portugal"

Luís Filipe Vieira has delivered, this Wednesday, Sport Lisboa e Benfica's jerseys, with name printings, to all the military forces that constitute the Força Nacional Destacada (FDN), present in Central African Republic, as a recognition of their humanitarian work, which has been dignifying Portugal.

The event of Fundação Benfica, with the collaboration of Adidas, took place in Museu Militar de Lisboa, with the presence of Luís Filipe Vieira, the Army chief of the staff office, the General Frederico José Rovisco Duarte and even of the Executive President of Fundação Benfica, Carlos Moia.

The speech of the president Luís Filipe Vieira:

"The Sport Lisboa e Benfica is a big national and global reference, every time bigger in territories which overcame, a long time ago, the traditional destinations of the Portuguese diaspora.

Every time we play in national territory, we go farther into the exterior.

Every time we play outside the national territory, we feel like home and we carry, with honour, the good name of Portugal.

That is the strength of football and sports, when implemented by a club with the sporting patrimony, the civic dimension and implantation of Sport Lisboa e Benfica.

That is the strength of a project which insists on counting with memory and with its patrimony, in daily life and in the preparation of the future.

But this is the opportunity to underline the relevancy and the recognition of competence, of strategic vision, humanism and universal vocation of the Portuguese military during the missions, representing the country.

This is an expression of our pride.

I will not hide that many of the values, of vision and the sense of mission of the military, were and are always very useful and an excellent example for those who have to manage an institution in which the sense of organization, mobilization and the focus are fundamentals.

 To get results we need to work, to be ready and put in practice the planned strategy. Plant to harvest.

In a time of great international achievements of the Portuguese, at several contexts and latitudes, the Sport Lisboa e Benfica assesses the recognition to the excellency of the capacities of everyone who integrate the Portuguese contingent, at the service of ONU and of European Union in Central African Republic.

In what concerns to new conquers and renewed statements of Portugal and the Portuguese, Benfica, through its Foundation, underlines the humanitarian work developed in the Central African Republic by one of the nation's pillars: The Portuguese Army.

The symbolic delivery of the Sport Lisboa e Benfica's jerseys to all the military sent to Central African Republic, more than a simple gesture of recognition and solidarity, integrates the dimension of the civic and social responsibility of a club with the Benfica's dimension.

It is an expression of our pride in the affirmation of the Portuguese capacities, in a context of containment the conflicts, humanitarian intervention or preserving peace.

For all, the Military, the Families, the Army, in a scene of great demand, thank you for elevating so high and with such a competence the name of Portugal.

God bless you

Long live Portugal!”