Belenenses split in two
On September 23, one of Portugal’s most storied football teams will be celebrating its centenary. But instead of commemorating 100 years of existence and a glorious past, Os Belenenses have lurched into an unprecedented crisis with no solution in sight. And it’s a crisis that has, quite literally, split the club in two.
An ugly boardroom battle with increasingly vitriolic overtones resulted in the bizarre situation whereby this season kicked off with two separate incarnations of the team from Lisbon’s chic Belem quarter. One is playing in Portugal’s the sixth tier, attracting crowds of over 5,000 and rocketing towards promotion, the other is in Portugal’s top flight, with no fixed abode and almost no fans, and yet is in with a shout of qualifying for Europe.
Belenenses is a club that was part of the very soul of Portuguese football, one of only two teams outside the traditional Tres Grandes of Benfica, Sporting and Porto to have won the championship, and the club which, apart from those three, has spent the most years in the top division.
Denne historien er fra May 2019-utgaven av World Soccer.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra May 2019-utgaven av World Soccer.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Going for Gold in Paris- There are plenty of candidates vying for the Olympic gold medal in the women's football tournament this summer
There are plenty of candidates vying for the Olympic gold medal in the women's football tournament this summer
Face to face - Tom Sainfiet- The final goal is to reach the World Cup and write history - The Belgian coach speaks to World Soccer
The well-travelled Belgian coach speaks to World Soccer after taking charge of the Philippines-his 11th international coaching role
Inter cruise to title number 20
Simone Inzaghi's Internazionale shrug off all challengers before sealing the Serie A title in style against their biggest rivals
HAT-TRICK HERO
Ademola Lookman wrote his name into European football's history books with a hat-trick in the Europa League final
GOING UP
The story of Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres' career has been one of upward trajectory - and there's plenty more to come from the Sporting superstar
Palau soldier on alone
The isolated Pacific nation faces a long and lonely battle to improve football on the island
Brazilian clubs eye Copa number six
As the Copa Libertadores group stage concludes, a sixth consecutive Brazilian winner is looking likely
AI Hilal sweep to another Saudi crown
The first edition of the Saudi Pro League's glamorous new era ends with a familiar title winner
Disasters brewing
There is still a long way to go in World Cup qualifying, but dysfunction reigns at Cameroon, Congo and Nigeria after four matchdays in the group stage
Second round of World Cup qualifying underway
Favourites perform largely as expected, yet Cayman Islands dominate the headlines
