Going to a Football Game

A Sporting match day with lots of cold and freezing weather, but in the end with a win! Some useful tips for places to gather and have some drinks and food, and some football talk!

The Context

The King sport in Portugal is by no doubt Football. Here, rare are the people who do not watch games, or do not support a club. The country is very football loving, and most support the "three bigs", which are Sporting Clube de Portugal, Sport Lisboa e Benfica, and Futebol Clube do Porto. The first two are Lisbon clubs, so they are easier to see if you are in the city. The last one plays in Oporto, so if you pass by the city, take the opportunity to visit the Estádio do Dragão.

Some League History

The rivalry is intense, almost all championships have gone to these three clubs since the beginning of the Portuguese League in 1938! Only two clubs have managed to win it besides the "three bigs", which are Belenenses in 1945-46, and Boavista in 2000-01. Because of this, other clubs are usually very small in fans and economy. People in Lisbon usually say it is a picture of the smallness of our country, focusing very much on its capital - Lisbon. Yet, in the 1980s FC Porto and their president changed the paradigm, and began to control and win everything involving football, even Internationally, by winning two Champions Leagues! Sporting Clube de Braga, another club from the North, has also managed to grow through the years, and is now considered by some to be the "fourth big", as it usually finishes in the top places, yet, almost always behind the "three bigs".

This Year's League

This year the league seems to be more competitive. In these last 5 years, 4 titles went to Benfica, and one to FC Porto. Sporting was always in the competition, but always managed to disappoint their fans. At this point in the season, five clubs are close to the top place, and these are the "three bigs", Sporting Clube de Braga, and Rio Ave Futebol Clube. This is not usual. Benfica are having a hard time this year with their manager, Porto is not managing to keep straight wins, and Sporting is coming back from a tough summer, with lots of controversy and drama with the president and football players, who were attacked in their locking room by ultra fans, and began an uprising against the president who was ultimately expelled from the club. Braga and Rio Ave are always strong teams, every year, and this year they might have a chance. An interesting championship it will be.

The Match Day

But focusing on the experience, yesterday I went to a Sporting match in Estádio Alvalade XXI, the stadium of the club. The game was against Boavista, one of the few two clubs to have won the championship besides the "three bigs", but who was involved in a corruption scandal, got lowered to the second division, managed to get back to the first division, and is not a lower table club.

Ticket Buying

The game was to start at 8 p. m., yet my friends wanted to go really early to start the usual gathering with beer drinking and football talking. So we arrived to the stadium at about 4 p. m. to buy some tickets for some Italian friends of my friend, who were coming to a game of Sporting for the first time. The tickets were not cheap for outsiders. The minimum was 18€ and it would behind the goal in the top of the stadium. Yet we managed to get 4 fan cards, and the price for a central ticket near to the field lowered to 20€, so they bought this one. I have to explain that these 4 fan cards came from me, my dad, and two other Portuguese friends, so if you want to get lower prices to see these games I would advise you to be friends with a Portuguese person, and they will help you getting a ticket much easier, and cheaper. Also, you should go early to the ticket office. Match days can have really big lines to buy a ticket, but you can also buy from people who sell it unofficially. They are usually near the line trying to convince people to buy these. I cannot assure you they are reliable, yet, from the few times I bought from them, they never failed me, so it's your choice!

Roulottes

Now it was time for the beers. We headed to one of the classic places around the stadium where people usually gather before the game. We call it the "roulottes", and it can be translated into "caravans", "trailers" or just beer and burger stands. The place is adjacent to the Jardim do Campo Grande and has lost of stands that serve drinks and food, and also have TVs to watch other football games. The traditional menu includes a beer and a "bifana", a traditional pork sandwich.

So we stood there, they were drinking some beers, and we were watching Manchester United's game against Everton, and also AC Milan's game against Sampdoria, as one of the Italian guys was a Milan fan. Soon more friends arrived, and more conversation and laughter beagn, yet the freezing cold also joined us, and there were still three hours to pass till the start of the game.

Castanhas

We decided to go and eat something else than "bifanas" and went to the entrance of the metro where we knew a man would be selling "castanhas assadas", another traditional Portuguese appetizer. These are roasted chestnuts that are typical of this time of the year, which is Autumn, and that are sold all around Lisbon's streets. It is really good to buy some in a cold day, as the smoke from the roaster smells really good and offers you some much needed heat for your body. Then you can enjoy some really good chestnuts, for about one to two euros and half for a dozen. Ours costed us two and a half euros, and they were really good! The first ones of this year!

Magriço

We then returned to the "roulottes" but the cold was still there, and I forgot to mention that I was wearing shorts and had only a jacket over my shirt, so I was on the point of freezing right there. Fortunately a friend of mine was in the same situation and agreed to come with me to "Magriço", a restaurant in another typical gathering part around the stadium where Sporting players would usually eat, like Cristiano Ronaldo and Simão Sabrosa! We went there and finally I could sit for a while and let my body absorve some heat. It is a good place to eat something before the game, either a "bifana" or a normal meal, with a soup and a dish. The place is in front of "Academia", a usual gathering place for ultra fans, with lots of singing and drinking, good environment, and football love.

Game Time

Finally, it was time for the game. Normally there is a big line to enter the stadium, but because of the cold and the lost to Arsenal on Thursday's Europa League game, not so many people came to watch the game, and the lines were ok. So we entered the stadium and it looked really empty, I got the news that Bas Dost, one of Sporting's best players, would be back for the game. That was good news. The first half was alright, we scored a goal and were in front. The second half was better. Sporting played well, we scored two goals, and Bas Dost entered to show that he is back to have some fun. In the end, 3 - 0 was the score, and everyone went home happy. Benfica had lost that weekend, and they are the biggest adversaries of Sporting, so it was a good weekend.

The Game, the Sport, and People

To go to a football game is always a fantastic experience. I sometimes feel that I am in some kind of gladiator show, because players are in the arena and everyone is shouting when angry with a bad play, or ecstatic when a goal happens. People can get really into the game and the whole football atmosphere, as if it were their lives that are in play. It's amazing! Then you have the chance to sing and support the club you love, and see professional players playing a game that you love to play with your friends. You get to share happiness and disappointment with other people, and great friendships are created around the club. That's the amazing thing about sport. It unites people, but also creates division. Rivalries can become exaggerated and lose all sportsmanship, but it is our job to not let this happen, to control ourselves and set the example, so that everyone, in the end, can enjoy a good football game with their friends and family and go home happy.

Check out my full article on Lisbon for more experiences and places in the city!