Portuguese Football in English
Despite the Coronavirus pandemic continuing to wreak havoc all around the world, the Portuguese League has drawn up provisional plans to complete the current season by the end of July.
Earlier this week, UEFA imposed a limit of 3 August for registrations for the European competitions in 2020/21. On Thursday the Portuguese League presented its plan to resume the domestic competitions.
The Coronavirus pandemic is causing chaos to all economic sectors all around the world. Football finances have not escaped the general malaise, and Portugal’s top-flight clubs are set to take measures to cut footballers’ salaries as soon as April.
Joaquim Evangelista is the head of the Portuguese professional footballers’ union. While standing up for the rights of his members, he is realistic when it comes to what is likely to happen in the immediate future. “If cutting wages saves Portuguese football, we’re open to it,” he said, in an interview published in today’s edition of the Diário de Notícias.
The enforced football stoppage for barely a fortnight owing to the Coronavirus pandemic already has fans longing for the return to normality and their regular soccer fix.
One can only imagine, therefore, what it is like for the players, especially footballers who were just starting to make for a name for themselves in the beautiful game.
Braga duo Francisco Trincão and Abel Ruiz are two such players. Both 20 years old, the former has just transferred to Barcelona, with the latter making the move in the opposite direction as part of the deal. Both have had some interesting things to say to the Spanish press.
The PortuGOAL team would like to express solidarity with our audience at this extraordinarily difficult time. We send our best wishes as regards staying healthy to our community who share our passion for Portuguese football, to each and every one of you who have read/listened to/interacted with us over the years, in addition, needless to say, to the wider community.
Drawing on the broad geographical scope of our team of writers from Italy, Portugal, Poland, Germany, UK, USA and Canada, we each answer three questions to describe the Covid-19 outbreak situation in each country and transmit how people are coping. We’re in this together and we can get through it together. Vamos.
Amir Abedzadeh has had quite a football journey. Still only 26 years old, the Marítimo goalkeeper’s insistence on “chasing my dream” saw him try his luck in England and the United States of America, as well as his home country, before finding consistent top-level football in Madeira.
Speaking to PortuGOAL, Amir talks about life on the island known as The Pearl of the Atlantic, working with José Gomes, going to the World Cup under the orders of Carlos Queiroz, fellow Iranians also making a name for themselves in Portuguese football and his ambitions in the game.
