António Silva, the president of European Aquatics, is to be dismissed as head of the Portuguese Swimming Federation (FPN) after a five-month government inquiry sparked by a whistleblower concluded that his behaviour was incompatible with leadership of a national sports federation.
The ruling places Silva’s international roles in swimming in doubt: currently the subject of a World Aquatics Integrity Unit complaint and inquiry, Silva is the sole candidate for the presidency of European Aquatics in a January 27 vote that now looks unlikely to proceed.
In a judgement signed by the president of the board of directors at the IPDJ, Vítor Pataco, on behalf of Portugal’s Secretary of State for Youth and Sport, João Paulo Correia*, the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth (IPDJ) instructed the FPN to trigger the general assembly process through which Silva will be dismissed.
Alexandra Jorge, the former secretary of the General Assembly of the FPN, the highest authority In Portuguese swimming, resigned her post in April 2023 citing events and behaviour that has now been deemed "incompatible" with the domestic role Silva has occupied for a decade, a status that also granted him positions on the top tables of World and European regulators and, in a 2022 coup, the presidency of the continental body.
The issues we’re exposed by THE INQUISITOR. Our investigation unearthed the serious efforts of members of the General Assembly of the FPN, led by Nuno Recarei, the president of the North Portugal Swimming Association, to have Silva answer questions posed by Jorge’s complaints.
Craig Lord
The second key theme Alexandra Jorge raised was regarding António Silva's candidacy for the presidency of European Aquatics. She questioned the use of FPN funds for the purpose of Silva's campaign and asked him:
"How much money did you spend on the candidacy?"
