LISBON: Members of record Portuguese champions Benfica Lisbon elected former international midfielder Rui Costa as new president – months after the resignation of Luis Filipe Vieira on fraud charges.

Costa, 49, comfortably won the ballot in which a record 40,000 members participated. He obtained 84.48pc of the votes against 12.24pc of his opponent, Francisco Benitez.

His mandate will last four years, until 2025.

Rui Costa played for Benfica between 1991 and 1994 and then again from 2006 to 2008 and was later vice-president and finally interim head after the arrest of Vieira in July .

Vieira is under investigation for breach of trust, aggravated fraud, forgery, tax evasion and money laundering to total sums of more than €100m.

He is under house arrest.

The 72-year-old had led Benfica for a record 18 years.

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