For most residents of
Portugal, football, or soccer as it is known in the United States,
is by far the favorite sport. It is a national pastime, and for some
it borders on a religion. The Portuguese are fanatical in their enthusiasm
and support for the sport, both on a national and local level. In Portugal,
football is everywhere and even dictates several aspects of daily life.
Where to find
portuguese football
The football
season extends from September until May, and at the bars, cafes,
and other public gathering places, people are glued to the TV sets
watching the matches. This is especially true on Sundays when some
of the larger international matches are held.
There are several newspapers in Portugal devoted almost entirely
to football coverage, with A Bola, O Jogo and Record being among
the most popular. They cover all aspects of the sport from the national
team to some of the smaller, local football clubs in Algarve, Porto
and other areas of the country. Most other newspaper provide some
sort of coverage of the sport as well as information on schedules
for upcoming matches.
Portugal football
team
The national
football team was well supported, even before their exciting second-place
finish in the Euro 2004 tournament, which was held in Portugal.
Coached by Luiz Felipe Scolari since 2003, the national Portugal
football team lost to Greece by a score of 1-0 in the final of
that event, but their outstanding performance gave Portuguese football
fans much to be proud of.
But it is the
teams such as FC Porto, Lisbon’s
Sporting Clube de Portugal and SL Benefica that garner the most
attention and support, especially in the Lisbon and Porto areas.
Between them, these three teams have won nearly every national
championship since 1920.
In Portugal, football is an integral part of the culture and watching
a match on TV, or better yet, in person, is an ideal way to get a
true feel for the people and lifestyle.
|
|
