Diogo Ventura, captain of Sporting and basketball player for the Portuguese national team, criticized the structure of sports federations in Portugal. The player argued that the federations do not have the same organization and capacity as football to manage the media presence of star athletes.
Ventura specifically referred to the case of Neemias Queta, another Portuguese basketball player who plays in the NBA, as an example of an athlete whose media success is not accompanied by a federative structure capable of responding to the exposure these sports receive.
The captain of Sporting made these statements in the context of a broader debate about the differences between football and other sports in Portugal, where football continues to dominate in terms of resources, media attention, and institutional organization.
Ventura's position comes at a time when Portuguese basketball has gained greater international visibility, especially with players like Queta representing Portugal in the world's premier basketball league.
