The 51-year-old businessman, who is running for election to Benfica's governing body against the already announced candidates Rui Costa, current president, João Noronha Lopes, Cristóvão Carvalho, and João Diogo Manteigas, wants to move forward with the project, which will change two sections of the stadium.

The capacity increase will be on the first floor, with an additional 6,000 seats, and on the upper floors, with an additional 9,000.

"The study we are conducting guarantees the possibility of expanding the stadium by 15,000 seats, of which 9,000 will be added to the top tiers of the stadium, in the third tier, and 6,000 on the first tier, that is, next to the corporate seats and the boxes," Mayer explained in a statement to Lusa news agency.

The candidate, who is the grandson of Duarte Borges Coutinho, the club's longtime president, has committed to speaking with the company that owns the stadium's copyright regarding the prospect of making changes to the structure.

"It's very important to speak with the stadium's copyright holder, because, obviously, this can only be done with their agreement," he noted, and when there is a clear intention to make changes.

Based on the study conducted by a specialized company, also involved in the renovation of the FC Barcelona and Real Madrid stadiums, according to Mayer, the changes will cost an average of 5,000 euros per seat, or 75 million euros in total.

"It's an estimated value per seat, with an average value of 5,000 euros, which equates to 15,000 seats costing 75 million euros," he explained.

The director says this amount can be guaranteed "without affecting" the club's current financial situation.

"Financing can come in two different forms: the creation of a partnership with an entity specializing in major events and entertainment, or through the securitization, say, of the tickets corresponding to these seats," he explained, which would be an advance payment, through bank financing, of the value of these seats.

For Martim Mayer, the stadium's expansion will partially address the waiting list for season tickets.

Benfica's elections are scheduled for October 25th, with Rui Costa, João Noronha Lopes, João Diogo Manteigas, Cristóvão Carvalho, and Martim Mayer as announced candidates, at a time when the press has reported that former president Luís Filipe Vieira is also expected to enter the race.