Boavista, former Portuguese champions, are on the brink of extinction due to ongoing financial difficulties.
The Porto-based team shocked everyone when they beat FC Porto to the Primeira Liga title in 2001, but they have fallen on hard times in recent years.
In the 2022/23 season, Boavista were administratively relegated to the fifth tier of Portuguese football after finishing bottom of the top-flight.
As a result, they now find themselves competing in a local district league.
But things could soon get even worse, with Portugal's fourth most successful team now in danger of folding completely.
Boavista's demise under controversial owner Gerard Lopez
Boavista's demise has come under the ownership of controversial businessman Gerard Lopez, who also owns fallen French giants Girondins Bordeaux.
Bordeaux were relegated to France's semi-professional fourth tier in 2024, after legal action from 400 unpaid creditors.
Meanwhile, another of Lopez's teams, Belgian side Royal Excelsior Mouscron were declared bankrupt in 2022.
Boavista's financial situation is certainly a dire one – with their debts leaving them without electricity at their Estadio de Bessa home in April after failing to pay a bill.
In July, police officers used a battering ram to enter the club's headquarters to seize documents.
This came following suspicions that six club executives had committed tax fraud and money laundering.
However, Lopez is not among the six people identified by Portuguese police, and no criminal charges have been brought against him.
From glory days to the brink of extinction
The current situation at Boavista is a far cry from their heyday in the late nineties and early 2000's, when they boasted the likes of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Raul Meireles and iconic goalkeeper Ricardo.
Besides the big three of Benfica, Porto and Sporting CP, Boavista are one of only two teams, along with Belenenses, to have won the league title.
They have also won five Portuguese Cups, and their 2001 league glory saw them mix it with Manchester United and Liverpool in the Champions League the following season.
Earlier this year, the Portuguese giants looked bolster their squad by making a staggering nine signings in one day.
This included former Chelsea wonderkid Marco van Ginkel and ex-PSG defender Layvin Kurzawa, but they were unable to save the club from relegation.
Now, the future of this once-great club hangs in the balance, with the threat of extinction looming large.
It's a sad state of affairs for a club with such a rich history and tradition in the beautiful game.
But in the cut-throat world of modern football, there's no room for sentimentality.
Boavista's demise should serve as a warning to other clubs of the dangers of financial mismanagement and the perils of falling into the wrong hands.
Only time will tell if they can pull off a great escape and rise from the ashes once again.
