The sun comes up on a massive day
in the Algarve, if you’re a football fan that is, and that means the majority of the
population.
The Portuguese are fanatical
about their football and men like Eusebio and Sir Bobby Robson are National
heroes.
Here in Fuseta allegiances are pretty well split down the middle with almost
half the town supporting either Benfica or Sporting Lisbon with a small band of
loyal FC Porto fans.
As in the English Premier League,
today is the final day of the Portuguese Primeira Liga and, unlike the English
Premier League, the title is still up for grabs.
Benfica, who are 2 points clear and
with a superior goal difference and a relatively easy home fixture against CD
Nacional, are the clear favourites but if they lose and Sporting Lisbon win a tricky
away game against 4th place Braga, Sporting will win the league.
The cafes and bars will be busy this
afternoon for the warm up final Premier League games but by 5 pm they
will be overflowing for the “main event”.
But after all "it’s only a game” and does it really
matter which teams wins?
Methinks it does!
Sir Bobby summed it up perfectly:
“What is a football club in any case? Not the buildings or the
directors or the people who are paid to represent it. It’s not the television
contracts, get-out clauses, marketing departments or executive boxes. It’s the
noise, the passion, the feeling of belonging, the pride in your city. It’s a
small boy clambering up stadium steps for the very first time, gripping his
father’s hand, gawping at that hallowed stretch of turf beneath him and,
without being able to do a thing about it, falling in love.”
And that is exactly what happened
to me in 1953 when my dad took me to my first match at Portman Road.
Here’ a reminder of those two
great men, first Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, The Black Panther, who scored 721
goals in 715 matches for Benfica and 41 goals in 64 games for his national team.
and the gentleman of football, Sir Robert William "Bobby" Robson CBE, whose achievements in football in England and Europe are too many to list.
But for me he will be remembered most for his thirteen-year
tenure at Ipswich Town, when he brought in only 18 players from other clubs
most notably Allan Hunter, Paul Cooper, Bryan Hamilton, Mick Mills, David
Johnstone, Paul Mariner, and Dutch imports Frans Thijssen and Arnold Mühren but relied instead on players developed through Ipswich's youth programmes, including
Terry Butcher, George Burley, John Wark, Russell Osman, Colin Viljoen, Alan
Brazil, Trevor Whymark, Brian Talbot, Kevin Beattie, and Eric Gates who all
went on to play international football.
Not only was Robson a tactical genius, he also
showed a talent for developing new players, with his good interpersonal skills,
caring attitude, hard work and enthusiasm helping them to achieve their best.
It's only a game!
Hey Ho!
