After 83 years away, Casa Pia are a presence again in Portugal’s top division. Tenth in their first season back, ninth last season and up to seventh now in their third campaign back among the elite, the ultimate traditional club comes with a modern twist.
It is a revival sparked by American investor Robert Platek and chief executive Tiago Lopes. It was a tricky start. “We had four players, one employee and 20 days to prepare for the season. We were getting relegated to the third division,” Lopes tells Sky Sports.
That was five years ago. Casa Pia stabilised and then won promotion. Now they are established in the top division, even beating Benfica in January. “This has been indeed a Cinderella story for us so far. Now we move into that second stage of development.”
That means plans for a new stadium in the heart of Lisbon and a chance to make this a fairytale to remember, maybe even becoming a fresh force in Portugal, the upstarts from the capital. But Lopes is keen to lean on tradition too. “Casa Pia has a rich history.”
That is part of the allure of the project, of course. Casa Pia is born from a charitable orphanage founded in the wake of the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. “The city was pretty much destroyed. It was an enormous catastrophe and many children were orphaned.”
Casa Pia was “an institution with a mission” and its footballing past is just as evocative. In 1921, when Portugal played their first game against Spain, they wore the jerseys of Casa Pia and were even captained by Kennedy Olivares, the captain of Casa Pia.
When Benfica opened their new stadium in 1925, Casa Pia were chosen as the opponents. “We wanted a blank slate, a club that we could come in and revamp,” says Lopes. “But we wanted something with a legacy too. We found that in Casa Pia.”
There is certainly romance to the tale of the club that lost their top-flight status in 1939 and their ground the following year, claimed by the government for the site of the great exhibition in Lisbon. But it would count for little without a thoroughly modern plan.
“We wanted something within Portugal because strategically the market is very appealing from a player development standpoint. It was an opportunity for something fresh, to put a process in place, to make it as efficient as possible and get things done.”
Casa Pia are doing things differently, already boasting some high-profile recruitment successes. “Saviour Godwin was in the second division in Belgium and he became one of the best players in Portugal.” He has since been sold on to the Saudi Pro League.
Most notably, there is Jota Silva. “He had previously been playing with a third division team and was recruited as a free agent.” After 18 months, he moved on to Vitoria Guimaraes with Casa Pia later getting a chunk of the fee paid by Nottingham Forest.
“We use data and want to recruit players at next to no cost. There are 30 slots on the roster and they must generate value. It is like going into a pharmacy. What are you trying to solve? What are the symptoms? What will be the side effects of the medication?”
Lopes is fond of a simile. “I see football like a puzzle. The question is, do we have all the pieces? We want to be the best at recruitment, coaching and so on but you want those units to collaborate. Many clubs have better resources but they do not collaborate.
“I think our culture has been our competitive edge. Players know that if they go the extra mile with us they will be rewarded, they are going to go on to bigger things. And it is the same with our coaches. You have a former Casa Pia coach at Manchester United…”
Ruben Amorim’s brief stint at Casa Pia, his first foray into management, actually predates the current ownership, but the tradition of trusting in young talent on the bench continues. Joao Pereira, their head coach, is the youngest in the league at 33.
“Joao is one of the best coaches around,” insists Lopes. “Yes, he is the youngest in the league but we are not afraid of taking risks on talent if they are passionate and they are eager to collaborate. He is also supported by specialists and that makes him better.”
How far Pereira can take Casa Pia will depend on how successful those above him can be in terms of building the club up – and that will hinge on a new stadium. “The dream is sustainable growth and in order to achieve that we need a home and need it urgently.”
It has been their biggest challenge. “A severe handicap,” Lopes concedes. “You can plan but you can still get smacked in the face.”
Booted out of the Estadio Pina Manique upon promotion in 2022 as it was deemed unfit for the top division, Casa Pia spent a year in the old Estadio Nacional, site of Celtic’s famous European Cup win in 1967. “After one year, once again we were pushed away.”
Lopes adds: “The FA wanted to move events there and Casa Pia was not a priority for them. We decided to go to Rio Maior.” It was not an ideal solution given that it is an hour away from their spiritual home in Lisbon but it has not stopped them winning games.
“Honestly, what a great decision we made. We made the place our own. We made our fortress elsewhere. We made it feel like ours. We have painted. We have decorated. And since August, we had gone undefeated there until we played Sporting in February.”
Still, it is only temporary. The plan is for a new stadium back where Lopes believes Casa Pia belong. “It is in the heart of Lisbon, 6,000 seats so that it will be full. With the corporate hospitality, it will generate enough resources for us to fight within the league.”
Lopes has big ambitions. Some of it is rooted in cold economics with a new TV deal for the Portuguese league imminent. “There is capital on the horizon for us to tap into and that represents an opportunity. The new stadium will bring increased revenue too.”
Other aspects of his vision are more lofty. “This institution is so deep within the social and sporting movements in the country that it represents a chance to do a lot more within the community centres that still exist in Casa Pia. We feel that responsibility.”
And if all that comes to fruition, the investors will be happy too. “A question we always ask is whether we could replicate this somewhere else and grow our portfolio. It is possible.” As for what they make of this at Benfica and Sporting, it remains to be seen.
“I think they all see there is a need for clubs like Casa Pia to come back and refresh the league. With a new stadium, for example, everyone benefits. We could be a sporting and financial landmark in Portuguese football,” he argues. “We see a bright future ahead.”