29/05/05 Barreirense have been promoted to the Liga de Honra (second division) after winning on the last day of the season (see here). They beat União Micaelense 2-1
at home, while the only team that could have displaced them, Pinhalnovense, also won, 2-0, at União de Madiera. But it was not enough to supplant Barreirense. 28/05/05
Sporting won the Taça Amizade ('Friendship Cup') Friday, beating Hertha Berlin on penalties at a three-quarters empty Charlety Stadium in Paris. Wichniarek and Mansiz
put the German side in front going into the break, but Sporting reacted well in the second half to come back to 2-2 through Sá Pinto from the spot and Paíto. Sporting won the penalty shoot-out
5-4. The Cup will come as scant consolation to Sporting fans, who have seen the SuperLiga title and the UEFA Cup slip through their fingers in the last fortnight. António Sousa
was formally presented as the new coach of Rio Ave Firday, replacing Carlos Brito, who moves to Boavista. Sousa was formerly with Beira-Mar. 25/05/05
The Liga dos Clubes presented their awards for the season in Porto last night:Team of the Year: Benfica
Coach of the Year: José Peseiro (Sporting)
Best Goalkeeper: Vítor Baía
(FC Porto) (plus Career Award)
Best Full Back: Jorge Luíz (Sporting Braga)
Best Central Defender: Luisão (Benfica)
Best Defensive Midfielder: Manuel Fernandes (Benfica)
Best Offensive Midfielder: João Moutinho (Sporting) (plus Revelation)
Best Forward: Liedson (Sporting) (plus Most Valuable Player and Top Scorer)
Best Referee: Pedro Henriques
24/05/05 Co Adriaanse, the former AZ Alkmaar coach, is in Porto to finalise details that should see him signing for two years as FC Porto
coach, with another as optional. He has brought his assistant Jan Olde Riekerink
with him. Last season Adriaanse, who will be presented officially Tuesday, took modest AZ to third place in the Dutch league and to a semi-final place in the UEFA Cup, where they were knocked out by Sporting. The Dutchman takes over from
José Couceiro, who declined an offer to stay on at the club as assistant. Giovanni Trapattoni has not yet decided whether he will stay at Benfica
or return to Italy, although it is certain that he will stay until at least the Final of the Taça de Portugal
against Vitória de Setúbal. Speaking Monday, he said: "I'm trying to convince my wife ... I'd like to stay at Benfica and participate in next season's Champions League, but I'm feeling a little nostalgic for
Italy because I have my family there, my grandchildren. Let's wait until the Final of the Taça and then we'll see ... Let's say that at the moment, that there's a 50% chance either way." FC Porto
's Brazilian international midfileder Diego underwent an operation Monday on a fractured bone in his foot, suffered in Sunday's home draw with Académica. 23/05/05 FC Porto coach José Couceiro
handed in his resignation after the 1-1 home draw with Académica Sunday. It has been common knowledge for some time that Porto are in contact with AZ Alkmaar coach Co Adriaanse
to take the reins next season, and it was clear that Couceiro saw his position at the club as untenable. 21/05/05 The funeral took place Friday of João Manuel, who died Wednesday. He had
multiple sclerosis. He played for several clubs, but made his name at União de Leiria, where he spent nine seasons. His last club was Moreirense, for which he played two games this season. There will be a
minute's silence in his memory before games on the last day of the SuperLiga Sunday. João Manuel was 37. The Italian press has reported that Benfica coach Giovanni Trapattoni
will be returning to Italy at the end of the season, possibly to Lázio. Rumours circulated Friday that Spanish coach José Camacho
may be returning to Benfica after a season away and an unhappy spell at Real Madrid. FC Porto president Pinto da Costa is in Holland to finalise the contracting of AZ Alkmaar coach Co Adriaanse
. Current coach José Couceiro is intersting Turkish club Fenerbahçe. Three Sporting players are having operations. Fábio Rochemback was operated on for a hernia Friday, while
Miguel Garcia (hernia) and Hugo Viana (shoulder) will go under the knife in the close season. FC Porto won the Taça BES/A Bola
for the second year in a row. The trophy, sponsored by Banco Espírito Santo and A Bola, is awarded to the Grande that has the best record in SuperLiga matches against the other two Grandes,
(Benfica and Sporting). There was also a cash prize of 35,000 euros, which went to charity. 18/05/05 Sporting president Dias da Cunha said Tuesday that coach José Peseiro
will continue at the club, even if Sporting don't win the UEFA Cup Final on Wednesday. Dias da Cunha stuck by his man earlier in the season when many were calling for his head. The so-called G-14
group of clubs, including this time FC Porto and Sporting, are taking advantage of the UEFA Cup Final to meet in Lisbon. One of the matters under discussion is compensation
to clubs for ceding players to national sides. 17/05/05 At the Laureus Awards in Estoril, Greece were voted the team of the year for winning the Euro 2004
tournament, against Portuga in the final, ahead of FC Porto, who won the SuperLiga, Champions League and World Club Trophy. União de Leiria coach Vítor Pontes
has been mooted as a possible replacement for Oleg Romantsév at Dynamo Moscow. The club has already nabbed a number of Portuguese players, including most recently Manich and Costinha from FC Porto.
Various footballers were involved in a road accident in the early hours of Monday morning:: FC Porto's Bosingwa, Boavista's Nélson and Édu, Jaime Linhares of Ovarense and Sandro Luís of
Azores side Santa Clara. The latter has been told by the doctors that he will probably not play professional football again. 14/05/05 Carlos Brito is set to join Boavista next season. The
Rio Ave coach, who has done wonders at the northern minnow, would replace Pedro Barny, caretaker after Jaime Pacheco was left the club in April. António Sousa, formerly of Beira-Mar, will take
over at Rio Ave. 12/05/05 Vítor Pontes will not continue as coach at União de Leiria past the end of the season. No replacement has yet been found, but Barreirense's Daúto Faquirá
has been mooted. Faquirá has also been linked to Vitória de Setúbal. 10/05/05 The end-of-season musical-chairs session begins. Vitória de Guimarães coach
Manuel Machado will be at Nacional next season. Vitória are hoping to contract Jaime Pacheco, who recently resigned from Boavista. Pacheco was at Vitória between 1996 and 1997 but left under a cloud after
disagreements with the then president Pimenta Machado. Leading sports daily A Bola
has pledged not to print any news, quotes or interviews that might incite violence or put pressure on the referees ahead of the crucial last two games of the season. Benfica and Sporting
invited the 34 other clubs from the SuperLiga and Liga de Honra to discuss Tuesday the problems facing Portuguese football. Nine showed up: Benfica and Sporting, plus Belenenses, Sporting Braga, Vítoria de Guimarães, Moreirense and Marítimo
from the SuperLiga and Olhanense and Feirense from the Liga de Honra.Thanks to the end-of-season high on the pitch, the value of Sporting's shares rose by 6.4%
Tuesday to 3.66 euros, the highest valuation in three years. The funeral took place Tuesday of the popular commentator Jorge Perestrelo, who died of a heart attack Friday. Perestrelo was famous for his
enthusiastic, irreverent commentaries of games, often more interesting than the games themselves. 04/05/05 Players Union representatives met with the president of the Liga,
Valentim Loureiro, Tuesday to warn of serious situation of overdue salaries. According to the president of the Union, Joaquim Evangelista, who said that 90%
of Portuguese clubs are late paying their players. Portuguese coach José Mourinho was unable to take Chelsea to their first European Cup Final Tuesday when they went down 0-1 at Liverpool
, losing 0-1 on aggregate. Ricardo Carvalho and Tiago were in Chelsea's starting line-up. According to France Football, José Mourinho is the best paid coach in Europe. The Top 5 are:
1. José Mourinho, Portuguese, 7.5 m euros
2. Alex Ferguson, Scottish, 6
3. Sven-Goran Eriksson, Swedish, 5.8
4. Arsene Wenger, French, 4.4
5. Ottmar Hitzfeld, German, 3.3The same magazine has also published a list of the best paid footballers, and Luís Figo of Real Madrid is 10th. The Top 10 are:
1. David Beckham (GBR/Real Madrid), 25 m euros
2. Ronaldo (BRA/Real Madrid), 19.6
3. Zinedine Zidane (FRA/Real Madrid), 13
4. Christian Vieri (ITA/Inter), 12
5. Alessandro del Piero (ITA/Juventus), 9.5
6. Frank Lampard (ENG/Chelsea), 9.4
7. Raúl González (SP/Real Madrid), 9.3
8. Thierry Henry (FRA/Arsenal), 9.2
9. John Terry (ENG/Chelsea), 8.6
10. Luis Figo (POR/Real Madrid), 8.5
01/05/05 Boavista and coach Jaime Pacehco
have parted company. Pacheco handed in his resignation after Friday's 0-1 defeat at Académica and it was accepted by the board. Boavista are fifth in the SuperLiga, which would give them a place in the UEFA Cup
next season, but recent performances and results have been disappointing. Back-room coach Pedro Barny takes over as caretaker until the end of the season. Naval and Estrela da Amadora joined
Paços de Ferreira in the SuperLiga next season when they made certain of promotion from the Liga de Honra Saturday. Naval drew 0-0 at Varzim while Estrela beat Feirense 4-2 at home. Portuguese coach
José Mourinho has taken English Premier League side Chelsea to their first title in 50 years, clinched with a 2-0 win at Bolton. Another Portuguese coach, Manuel José, has taken Al-Ahly
to the Egyptian title. Al Ahly were unbeaten all season, dropping only four points. |
