Sporting Clube de Portugal (Portuguese pronunciation:[sɨˈpɔɾtĩˈkluβɨðɨpuɾtuˈɣal]), otherwise referred to asSporting CP or simplySporting (particularly within Portugal), or asSporting Lisbon in other countries,[1][2][3][4][5] is a Portuguesesports club based inLisbon. Having various sports departments and sporting disciplines,[6][7][8] it is best known for its men's professionalfootball team playing in thePrimeira Liga, the top flight ofPortuguese football.
Founded on 1 July 1906,[a] Sporting is one of the "Big Three" clubs in Portugal that havenever been relegated from Primeira Liga, along withrivals Benfica andPorto. Sporting are nicknamedLeões (Lions), for the symbol used in the middle of the club's crest, andVerde e Brancos (Green and Whites), for the shirt colour that are in (horizontal) stripes. The club's anthem is called "A Marcha do Sporting" ("Sporting's March"),[10] its motto isEsforço, Dedicação, Devoção e Glória (Effort, Dedication, Devotion and Glory),[11]its supporters are called sportinguistas[12] andthe club's mascot is called Jubas.[13] Sporting is the second largest sports club by membership in Portugal, with 179,208[14][15] members, which makes it one ofthe world's largest.[16] It is also among the top three Portuguese sports clubs in number of non-affiliatedfans.[17] Their home ground has been theEstádio José Alvalade, built in 2003, which replaced theprevious one, built-in 1956. The club's indoor arena is thePavilhão João Rocha multi-sports pavilion.[18]Its youth academy has helped produce footballers such asLuís Figo andCristiano Ronaldo.[19]
Evolution of Sporting Clube de Portugal's league performances since 1938
Sporting Clube de Portugal has its origins in June 1902, when a group of young men including Francisco da Ponte e Horta Gavazzo and his brother José Maria decided to createSport Club de Belas. This club, the first ancestor of Sporting, played just one match and at the end of the year's summer, disbanded. Two years later, the idea of creating a football club was revived, and this time, with the Gavazzo brothers joined byJosé Alvalade (José Holtreman Roquette) and José Stromp; a new club, theCampo Grande Football Club, was founded. They played their matches on the estate of theViscount of Alvalade (Alfredo Holtreman), José Alvalade's grandfather, with the club's headquarters located in Francisco Gavazzo's home. For two years, the club developed an intense activity on several sports, namely football,tennis andfencing.
José Alvalade founded Sporting with the backing of his grandfather.
The club also organized parties and picnics. Eventually, during one picnic, on 12 April 1906, discussions erupted, as some members defended that the club should only be focused on organizingpicnics,balls and other social events, with another group defending that the club should be focused on sports instead. Some time later, José Gavazzo, José Alvalade and 17 other members left the club, with José Alvalade saying: "I'll go to my grandad and he'll give me money to make another club."[7][24][25] As such, a new club, without a name, was founded on 8 May 1906, and on 26 May,[26] it was named "Campo Grande Sporting Clube".[a] The Viscount of Alvalade, whose money and land helped found the club, was the first president of Sporting.[27][28] José Alvalade, as one of the main founders and first club member (sócio), uttered on behalf of himself and his fellow co-founders: "We want this club to be a great club, as great as the greatest in Europe."[27] Beyond José Holtreman Roquette (José Alvalade) and his grandfather Alfredo das Neves Holtreman (Viscount of Alvalade), among the founders were also the brothersAntónio, José andFrancisco Stromp, the Gavazzo brothers, José Maria do Couto Valente da Ponte and José Ferreira Roquette.[29][30] Two months later, on 1 July 1906,[a] António Félix da Costa Júnior suggested the nameSporting Clube de Portugal, and since 1920 that is the club's foundation date.[31][a]
Alfredo Holtreman, Viscount of Alvalade was the first president, sponsor and protector of Sporting.
The year 1907 marked some "firsts" for the club, as Sporting played the first football match of their history on 3 February, ending in a 5–1 defeat against third division clubCruz Negra; inaugurated their first ground, known as "Sítio das Mouras" (the most advanced in Portugal at the time, equipped with showers, two tennis courts, an athletics track and a football field) on 4 July; and played the first derby of all time against local rivalsS.L. Benfica (then known asGrupo Sport Lisboa) on 1 December.[32] As early as 1909, the following sports were practised at the sports club: football, running and jumping (athletics), physical exercise (gymnastics), rope-wrestling, tennis, cricket and field hockey.[33]
The club also released their first report card on 31 March 1922, titled"Boletim do Sporting" (Sporting's Report), lending the foundation for the later called"Jornal do Sporting", the official newspaper of the club, that still exists today.[34]
Sporting played their firstPrimeira Liga game (the 1st Division of Portuguese football) ever on 20 January 1935, winning 0–6 againstAcadémica de Coimbra. A year later, in 1936, the club had their heaviest ever defeat againstPorto, losing 10–1. Sporting, however, got their revenge a year later, when they humbled the same team with a 9–1 result. In 1941, under the guidance of Hungarian managerJózsef Szabó, the club celebrated the first league title of their history.[citation needed]
The 1963-64 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup won by Sporting at MuseumMundo Sporting
The football team had their height during the 1940s and 1950s. It was spearheaded byFernando Peyroteo,José Travassos,Albano Pereira,Jesus Correia andManuel Vasques, in a quintet nicknamed "The Five Violins".[35] With the violins' help, Sporting won seven league titles in eight seasons between 1947 and 1954, including a then unprecedented four in a row from 1950 to 1951 onwards. Fernando Peyroteo, the most known of "the violins", is considered one of the greatest Portuguese players of all time.[36]
Sporting and the Yugoslavian teamPartizan both made history on 4 September 1955, as they played the first-ever UEFA Champion Clubs' Cup match. Sporting player João Martins scored the first-ever goal of the competition, on the 14th minute. The match ended in a 3–3 draw.[37] Sporting also inaugurated their new venue,José Alvalade Stadium, on 10 June 1956, which would be their home ground until 2003.[38]
In the 1960s, Sporting achieved continental success, winning the1963–64 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, defeatingMTK Budapest of Hungary in the final. It was the only time a Portuguese team side won a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup title.[39] The team entered the competition defeatingAtalanta in the qualifying round, then past Cypriot clubAPOEL in what was the biggest win in a single UEFA competitions game to date: 16–1, a record that still stands today. On the next round, they lost 4–1 toManchester United atOld Trafford in the first hand, but made a remarkable comeback at home, winning 5–0. In the semi-finals, Sporting eliminatedLyon, and in the end MTK Budapest, in a two-round final to win their first European title. The winning goal was scored byJoão Morais from a direct corner kick.[40]
Under the leadership of presidentJoão Rocha, the first project of club-company in Portugal was approved by Sporting CP's affiliated partners (sócios) in November 1973, and denominated "Society of Constructions and Planning" (SCP, Sociedade de Construções e Planeamento). The Portuguese government authorised the establishment of the company and the issue of 2.5 millionshares, with a nominal value of 100escudos each.[41][42] The club-company project with issuance of stock was hampered shortly after due to the events of theCarnation Revolution of 1974 and the subsequentProcesso Revolucionário em Curso of 1975 (the creation ofSociedades Anónimas Desportivas ("Public limited sports companies") would be later available in Portugal through a new legal status only introduced in the 1990s).[43][44]
The club reached the semi-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup in 1974, but lost to eventual winners1. FC Magdeburg of East Germany.[citation needed]
English managerMalcolm Allison arrived at Sporting in 1981, and under his guidance the club won the domestic double (league title and Portuguese cup), in 1982.[45] In the years between 1982 and 2000, Sporting suffered from a drought of titles. Despite defeating rivals Benfica 4–0 on aggregate to win the Portuguese Super Cup in 1987, Sporting fans had to wait until 1995 to see their team win some silverware after beatingMarítimo 2–0 in thefinal of the 1995 Portuguese Cup. That victory granted Sporting a place in thefollowing season's Portuguese Super Cup. After drawing 0–0 at theJosé Alvalade Stadium and securing a 2–2 draw at theEstádio das Antas, a replay match was held on 30 April 1996 at theParc de Princes in Paris. Sporting won 3–0 withSá Pinto scoring twice andCarlos Xavier scoring a stoppage time penalty. In the same 1995–96 season, Sporting also reached thePortuguese Cup Final but lost 3–1 to Benfica.
Highlights of this period of time also include a 7–1 victory over arch-rivals Benfica at theold José Alvalade Stadium on 14 December 1986. Sporting also reached theUEFA Cup semi-final in 1991, losing againstInternazionale.[46] Also,Barcelona andReal Madrid were both tied and defeated in Lisbon when playing against Sporting in the old UEFA Cup, in the 1986–87 and 1994–95 seasons, respectively.[47][48]
In 1998, Sporting had created the Sporting Clube de Portugal – Futebol,SAD, a public limited sports company for its football department, which went public on theLisbon Stock Exchange in that year at a price of 1,000escudos (the equivalent of about fiveeuros at the time) pershare.[49]
Sporting have failed to winPrimeira Liga again since 2002. On 6 August 2003, the new Sporting CP's stadium, theEstádio José Alvalade, was inaugurated.[56] In the2004–05 season,José Peseiro-led Sporting was leading thePrimeira Liga and was trailing a remarkable journey inUEFA Cup. However, at the end of the season, the team eventually lost all the chances of winning any trophy that season: the first set-back had already happened on 26 January 2005 when Sporting was eliminated from Taça de Portugal after losing 7–6 on penalties against Benfica. Nevertheless, Sporting was able to reach the leadership of Primeira Liga, and on 5 May the team booked their second European final, after defeating Dutch teamAZ in UEFA Cup. While awaiting the Final, on 14 May, Sporting lost its penultimate match inPrimeira Liga againstBenfica and dropped to third place. By the end of the season, the team eventually finished 2004–05 Primeira Liga in that place. Lastly, playing the2005 UEFA Cup Final at theirhome ground, on 18 May, Sporting lost 1–3 against Russian sideCSKA Moscow, after being 1–0 up at halftime.[57]
Domestically, Sporting had back-to-back wins in thePortuguese Cup in2007 and2008 (led by coachPaulo Bento). Sporting also reached, for the first time, the knockout phase ofUEFA Champions League, in the2008–09 season, but were roundly defeated byBayern Munich, with an aggregate loss of 12–1. This is widely regarded as one of the lowest points in the history of the club.[58] The club almost reached another European final in 2012, but were dropped out of the competition byAthletic Bilbao, in the semi-finals of the2011–12 Europa League.[59]
After years offinancial mismanagement, Sporting had amassed debts exceeding €276 million by 2011.[60] The results on the pitch were also negative, with Sporting finishing seventh in the2012–13 Primeira Liga, their lowest ever finish.[61][62] Managerial changes occurred within months or weeks apart: from November 2009 to May 2013, nine managers were contracted, with none of them lasting an entire season. In 2013, after pressure from club members, president Godinho Lopes resigned,[63][64] and shortly afterwards,Bruno de Carvalho was elected president in a snap election.[65][66] Carvalho intended to return success to the football team, while threatening to take Godinho Lopes to court,[67][68][69] and to renegotiate the club's debt payment schedule with the banks involved,[70] which eventually renegotiated the debt in very favourable conditions for Sporting CP in the following years as part of the club's financial restructuring started by Carvalho and finalized byFrederico Varandas ten years later.[71][72] This allowed Sporting CP to get a multimillion-eurodebt relief – in contrast to their rivals.[73][74] Carvalho's election brought Angolan investors to the club, most notablyÁlvaro Sobrinho, through Holdimo, which ultimately took possession of 20 million shares of Sporting'sSAD through conversion ofconvertible debt.[75][76]
On 5 June 2015, it was released an audit that analyzed the management of Sporting in the past 20 years: it concluded that in 1994 the club had €55 million worth of real estate assets and an almost nonexistent debt; by 2013, real estate assets were almost nonexistent, and the club had amassed a €331 million debt.[77] Their new stadium (completed in 2003) cost 74% more than what was expected when its construction started (€184 million against the planned €106 million), while their training facility cost 24% more, and the costs ofAlvalade XXI neighbourhood, a real estate complex located around the stadium, overshot its estimate by 60%; such complex was almost entirely sold in the following years, many estates of which were sold below market prices.[78]
From 1995 to 2013, the club invested €261 million in the football team, however, with few sports and financial results.[77] The audit criticized many football transfers in the 2000s, in which the club paid commissions well above market prices to player agents, and discovered that Sporting even had paid commissions without evidence of written contracts.[77][79] The audit also concluded that the administrations from 1995 to 2013 intended to convert Sporting, a multi-sports club, exclusively into a football club – although they did not openly admitted so – which was being done gradually through the closure of other sport modalities.[80] Moreover, the audit also pointed out evidence of mismanagement and conflicts of interest by several administrators.[77] Considering the audit's results, club members approved the expulsion of Godinho Lopes as an associate of the club in June 2015.[81]
In the2014–15 season, Sporting won their 16thPortuguese Cup in dramatic fashion. The Lisbon side, led byMarco Silva, played the final againstBraga, and after a disastrous start, found themselves losing 0–2 at half-time and playing with ten men after the sending-off ofCédric Soares. With the final seemingly lost,Islam Slimani gave some hope to the fans as he scored the 1–2 on the 83-minute. In stoppage time,Fredy Montero managed to equalize, forcing extra-time. Sporting ultimately won the match 3–1 on penalties.[84] Celebrations ended in a pacific pitch invasion of Estádio José Alvalade by the fans, as the club touched silverware for the first time in seven years.[85][86]
In June 2015,Jorge Jesus joined Sporting after Benfica opted not to renew his contract as coach of the club, signing a three-year contract. Presented as the new manager of the club on 1 July, the managerial change took the rivalry of both Lisbon clubs to new heights.[87] Under Jesus' tenure, Sporting won thePortuguese Super Cup for the eighth time, againstback-to-back champions Benfica.[88] Despite a positive start, Sporting did not win any other trophy, finishing second in thePrimeira Liga with 86 points, two points behind Benfica, despite breaking their own points record in the league.
Ruben Amorim during a training session in 2021, the year he led Sporting CP to its firstPrimeira Liga title under his leadership as manager of the team[97]
In the period before scheduled elections, a management committee, headed by former PresidentSousa Cintra asacting president of the sports club,[98] succeeded in returning some of the players who had left the club following the incident, namely Bruno Fernandes, Bas Dost and Rodrigo Battaglia.[99][100]Frederico Varandas was elected president on 8 September 2018.[101] Having replacedJorge Jesus at the beginning of the 2018–19 season,José Peseiro was sacked after a poor performance on the Primeira Liga.[102]
In the 2020–21 season, with no spectators allowed in Portugal due toCOVID-19 restrictions, and after beingeliminated from European competition byLASK Linz, Sporting won their thirdleague cup and ended their 19-year period without winning the Portuguese league, with only one loss (against Benfica in the penultimate round and already as champions), securing their19th Primeira Liga title after a 1–0 home win againstBoavista.[105]At the2021–22 UEFA Champions League group stage, Sporting made a comeback by finishing second on Group C after a 5–1 home loss to Ajax and 1–0 away loss to Borussia Dortmund, thereby reaching the knockout phase for only the second time since the2008–09 season. Domestically, both the2021 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira[106] and the2021–22 Taça da Liga[107] were won by the Lions, securing the trophies against Braga and Benfica, respectively. In the2021–22 Primeira Liga, Sporting finished second with the same 85 points as in the previous league campaign. In the 2023–24 league season, Sporting record signingViktor Gyökeres helped propel the club to their20th Primeira liga title, won on the fifth of May afterBenfica's 2–0 loss toFamalicão.[108]
In the2024-25 season, after an initial winning streak lasting for 11 rounds, to give Sporting a 5-point lead, coachRuben Amorim announced his departure to sign withManchester United. Not before leading Sporting to a 4-1 home win against Pep Guardiola'sManchester City for the2024-25 UEFA Champions League League Phase on the 4th round - Sporting would go on to lose withBorussia Dortmund on theknockout phase play-offs. His lastPrimeira Liga game saw Sporting make a comeback to win 2-4 atSC Braga for the 11th round. After a failed 8-match tenure forJoão Pereira, former Portugal capped and Sporting right-back, between November and late December,Rui Borges took over, starting off with a 1-0 home win againstSL Benfica and led the club to win the Primeira Liga for Sporting's21st Primeira Liga title - and first back-to-back win in over 71 years, since the1953/54 season. This marked Sporting's third League title win in the last 5 seasons of Portuguese football, marking a new era of increasing domestic dominance and hegemony. Swedish stikerViktor Gyökeres again topped the goalscoring chart, with 39 goals in 33 League games (having scored an impressive 53 times in 51 season overall matches), making him a top contender for the2024-25 European Golden Shoe.
For the 2022–2026 quadrennium,Frederico Varandas' administration started works of building renovation and modernization of the club's facilities.[110][111] In December 2023, Sporting and itsSAD had gone ahead with a financial restructuring started in 2019 on the grounds of earlier agreements withcreditors jump-started byBruno de Carvalho[73] which included the renegotiation of bank debt, "extinguishing the debt originally belonging toNovo Banco (with outstanding capital of 35,403,508.62 euros), with the exception of finance leases", the company announced in a statement sent to thePortuguese Securities Market Commission (CMVM). A debt belonging toMillennium BCP was also settled.[112][113][114] In addition, Sporting announced it would own 88 per cent of Sporting SAD from 15 February 2024 onwards,[115] instead of the 83.90% it owned at the time.[116][117][118] With the completion of the restructuring, the club said it intended to start a new strategicfinancial planning and secure the entry of a minorityinvestor in its Futebol, SAD.[119][120][121]
The stylizedrampant lion of the crest was taken by theViscount of Alvalade from theheraldry ofDom Fernando de Castello-Branco, Mayor ofCascais and the main promoter of football at Sporting Club de Cascais (widely known at the time as Sporting Club da Parada). However, Castello-Branco demanded that the color used by the new sports club should not be blue, since that was already a color adopted by Sporting Club da Parada.[124] To keep up with times, the club's emblem has been modernized throughout history and this led to the development of various crests consistent with the history of the club: in all of them, the rampant lion and the color green, as well as the full name of the club (Sporting Clube de Portugal) or its initials (SCP), have always been present in prominence.[125] Since its founding on the 1st July 1906, Sporting has already had five emblems, in addition to two commemorating crests for the fiftieth (1956) and the one hundredth years of existence (2006) of the club.
Sporting's previous crests
Sporting CP radically changed its emblem in 2001 to convey a message of modernity, more geared towards the new technologies at the time.[126] The current emblem presents an image with simplified framing while maintaining the green color in the shield and adding three horizontal white stripes that symbolize the club's shirt. Complemented with the words 'Sporting' and 'Portugal', now written in full, they emphasize the national dimension of the club and clarify its name internationally.[127] A stylized rampant lion appears in golden color and the acronym "SCP", which stands for the club's name (Sporting Clube de Portugal), is shown like a crown on top of the shield.[128][125]
When the club was founded in 1906, its players wore white jerseys. On 25 October 1908, Sporting presented the first ten football shirts that would come to be known as the Stromp kit. The initiative came from founder Eduardo Quintela de Mendonça. The Stromp kit is split at the top, with the right half white and the left half painted green. It was named in honour of one of the club's main founders,Francisco Stromp, and it had white shorts, with the shorts changing to black in 1915. It stopped being used as the main jersey in 1928.[129] On 6 November 1927, the horizontally striped green and white jerseys that Salazar Carreira, sportsman and sports manager linked to the club since 1912,[130][131] had chosen forthe club's rugby team in 1926[132] were worn by the football team for the first time in afriendly match againstCasa Pia, but after that the Stromp kit continued to be used. When Sporting's football team travelled to Brazil in July 1928, and after considering the weather conditions in that country, it was decided to wear the horizontally striped jerseys[132] because they were lighter and tighter to the body. On their return, the Sporting's football team once again wore the traditional split jerseys known as the Stromp kit. However, on 5 October 1928, in a match against Benfica, whether it was because of the heavy rain that made them too heavy, or for some other reason, at half-time the players swapped their usual jerseys for the striped ones, thus establishing what is still the club's main kit today: green and white horizontally striped jersey with black shorts.[133]
The club'smascot is called Jubas, plural of the Portuguese word formane, and is an anthropomorphic version of a lion wearing customized standard equipment and attire worn by the players of Sporting CP's main team.[13][134] It also wears official Loja Verde (Sporting CP's official store) garment in bothcharity andpromotional marketing initiatives.[135]
Founded on 1 July 1906, after two months during which the newly created sports club project was temporarily called Campo Grande Sporting Club[26] (afterCampo Grande), instead of its final official name, Sporting Clube de Portugal, which could be literally translated as "Sporting Club of Portugal", the club is officially referred to byUEFA andFIFA as written in its official full name or as "Sporting CP", a shortened form of the name.[136] The designation "Sporting Lisbon", a common way some foreign media and non-Portuguese speaking people use to refer to Sporting CP outside Portugal,[1] has been a source of contention and controversy for somesportinguistas[137][2] because it does not conform with the official name of the sports club and itsbrand value.[138] Regarding this issue, club supporters and officials have promoted awareness campaigns to raise people's awareness nationwide and internationally, and the club changed its official crest in 2001[139] with a focus on the name of the club and its words "Sporting" and "Portugal" in mind.[4][140][141][5]
Sporting CP's supporters orfans are calledsportinguistas.[142] The club has 179,208[143] affiliated members (calledsócios) and research studies have suggested it has a number of fans ranging from 2,000,000 to 2,500,000 in Portugal alone – which makes it the second or third most supported sports club in Portugal, depending on the study.[144][145][146][147] Like the other two PortugueseBig Three sports clubs, Sporting CP has also a sizable number of foreign fans in otherPortuguese-speaking countries beyond Portugal itself and supporters among the Portuguese expatriate community.[148][149][150]
The club's anthem is the "Sporting's March" (original official name: "A Marcha do Sporting"). It was written in 1955 by songwriters Eduardo Damas and Manuel Paião and originally sung by Portuguese singerMaria José Valério.[151][152][153] Sporting CP created and uses its own 'You'll Never Walk Alone'-style song, through a Portuguese version of the classic song popularised byFrank Sinatra 'My Way' called "O Mundo Sabe Que" that is performed by a massed chorus of supporters on match day.[154] Other popular songs include "Só Eu Sei" and "Curva Belíssima" popularized by organized Sporting CP'ssupporter's groupJuventude Leonina, and "Dia de Jogo", "Força Brutal" and "Voto Solene" sung by Sporting CP's-themed rock band Supporting.[155][156][157]
Throughout its history the club and its supporters established centres, branches and delegations (núcleos, filiais e delegações) of Sporting CP across Portugal and abroad. Among them, branches such asSporting Clube de Tomar (branch number 1),Farense (branch number 2),Olhanense (branch number 4),Covilhã (branch number 8) andCampomaiorense (branch number 27), and delegations such asLusitânia (delegation number 14), became noted autonomous sports clubs that reached the top level of Portuguese league systems in sports like football, rink hockey or basketball.[158][citation needed] Founded in 1920,Sporting Clube de Lourenço Marques (branch number 6[159] until 1975 and later renamed as CD Maxaquene) was also a branch of Sporting CP in Mozambique, East Africa, and under this original name, Portuguese footballerEusébio graduated as a footballer and played for the Mozambican club at both youth level and the main squad between the ages of 15 and 18.[160][161] The centres[162] were created and institutionalised in Sporting's 10th Club Statutes of 1984 and are characterised as being a group ofsportinguistas who get together and organise themselves to promote, support, celebrate and publicise Sporting CP. Many of them are also involved in important recreational, social and sporting activities. The branches, more than 100 were founded around the world, are sports clubs that have associated themselves with Sporting CP's core values, are managed as autonomous sports clubs and contribute to the expansion of Sporting CP. The delegations are sporting, recreational and cultural institutions that represent the interests of Sporting CP in the places where they are based and mobilise the ideals of the club in those same regions.[163]
Sporting's main rivals are Benfica, with both teams contesting the Lisbon derby, also known as "the eternal derby", among other names. The local rivalry started in 1907 when eight Benfica players left for Sporting looking for better training conditions. The first derby was contested that year and ended with a 2–1 win for Sporting. One of Sporting's biggest defeats to Benfica, 7–2, happened at the originalEstádio da Luz on 28 April 1948,[citation needed] and three 5–0 losses, in 1939,[citation needed] 1978[citation needed] and 1986.[citation needed] The biggest Sporting win over Benfica, 7–1, occurred at the original Estádio José Alvalade on 14 December 1986.Manuel Fernandes was particularly inspired and scored four goals;Mário Jorge two andRalph Meade one;Wando scored for Benfica.[164][165]
Before the start of the 1993–94 season,Sousa Cintra, then president of Sporting, took advantage of Benfica's financial crisis by signingPaulo Sousa andPacheco, who had terminated their contracts with the latter club. This event became known as"Verão Quente" (Hot Summer).[166] Later, on 14 May 1994, a memorable derby was played at the old José Alvalade Stadium, crowded to the top, as winning the derby could be a decisive step for Sporting in trying to regain the title, which by that time they had not won for 12 years. Sporting were considered the favourites, with a squad composed byLuís Figo, Paulo Sousa,Krasimir Balakov,Ivaylo Yordanov,Emílio Peixe,Stan Valckx and others; therefore, Benfica were seen as the underdogs. However, Benfica defied the odds and won the match 6–3 and went on securing the league title weeks later, leaving Sporting empty-handed in one of the most dramatic seasons in their history.[167][168] Two years later, the rivalry continued intense with a dramatic incident in the1996 Portuguese Cup final, which Benfica won 3–1. After the latter scored the first goal, a supporter of the club lit a flare which eventually struck a Sporting fan in the chest, killing him instantly.[169]
Eight years later, on 3 May 2004,Geovanni's winning goal for Benfica in the 87th minute at Alvalade caused a pitch invasion by Sporting fans.[170] In November 2011, after a 1–0 loss to Benfica at theEstádio da Luz, Sporting supporters set fire to one of the stands of the stadium.[171] Four years later, on 7 February 2015, during a futsal[172] derby, members of No Name Boys, one of Benfica's unofficial supporters' groups, showed a banner saying "Very Light 96", in reference to the 1996 incident.[173] The next day, during a football derby at Estádio José Alvalade, an official supporters' group of Sporting, Juve Leo, showed a banner with the inscription "Sigam o King" ("Follow the King"), in reference toEusébio's death a month before.[174][175]
Sporting has also a rivalry withPorto. Outside of the sports environment itself, the confrontation between Lions and Dragons represents a form of expression in sport, and in football in particular, of the political and regional differentiation between Lisbon and the North of Portugal. The confrontation captured the national imagination, having been remembered in the filmO Leão da Estrela (1947) starringAntónio Silva andArtur Agostinho, a classic of the Portuguese cinema,[176] and in its remake of 2015 starringMiguel Guilherme.[177]
Sporting and Porto have decided a competition 13 times. The first final won by Sporting took place only in 1978, at the Estádio Nacional, for theTaça de Portugal. The dispute was decided in two matches, a 1–1 draw and a 2–1 victory in the tie-breaker. There would be three more finals in the same location. In 1994, Porto also won the tiebreaker 2–1. In 2000, Porto won the tiebreaker again 2–0. And, in the2007–08 Taça de Portugal Sporting won in extra time 2–0. In the 2019, after eleven years, Sportingwon once again, with a 2–2 draw after extra time, with Sporting winning the penalty shootout 4–3.
Another four decisions between Porto and Sporting were for the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira. In 1996, in a tie-breaker valid for the 1994–95 edition; in 2001, valid for the 1999–2000 edition; and in2007 and2008. In the first two finals, the matches were held over two legs in the fields of rivals, with tiebreakers in Paris (1996) and Coimbra (2001). In 2007 and 2008, under the format in force since 2001, the decisions took place in a single match held in Leiria and in the Algarve.
Another decision between the two clubs took place in 2019, counting for the2018–19Taça da Liga. The match took place in Braga, ending with a 3–1 victory on penalties, after a 1–1 draw in regular time.[178]
Despite the rivalry, both clubs formed an alliance against Benfica in 2017, whenBruno de Carvalho was the president of Sporting.[179][180][181]
In the 2022–2023 season, SportingSAD's (Euronext Lisbon: SCP)net income was €25.2 million for a record-breakingrevenue of €222 million. Thenet debt stood at €141.796 million, a reduction in debt of €27 million comparing to the previous accounting period.[182]
By 2022, Sporting held 83.90% of Sporting SAD's capital (67.32% in category A shares and 16.58% in category B shares), which is listed onEuronext Lisbon, corresponding to 126,322,554 shares, andÁlvaro Sobrinho, by keeping 20,000,000 shares in his possession, had a stake of 13.28%. The remaining shareholders had 2.82% of the stock.[183] By December 2023, after adebt restructuring deal agreed with Portuguese banks Millennium bcp and Novobanco, Sporting announced it will consequently own 88 per cent of Sporting SAD.[116][117] Sobrinho's stake was diluted to 9.9%.[184]
Throughout its history, Sporting has had several grounds. The first one was inaugurated on 4 July 1907, and was called "Sítio das Mouras". It was a state-of-the-art facility at the time and included changing rooms with individual lockers and changing rooms with showers and baths. It included a grass playing field for football and two tennis courts. It was considered luxurious and had also an athletics track.[185] This was followed by theEstádio do Campo Grande (1917–1937) and theEstádio do Lumiar (1937–1956). In 1956, thefirst Estádio José Alvalade was inaugurated. Sporting played their matches there until 2003, when the stadium was demolished.
A new stadium,Estádio José Alvalade, was built for theUEFA Euro 2004, hosted by Portugal. Designed byTomás Taveira, it was inaugurated on 6 August 2003 and the wider complex called Alvalade XXI included ashopping mall, cinemas, health center, office space, residential areas, club's museum, official club store and other infrastructure.[186] The opening match was a 3–1 victory over Manchester United in a friendly game that marked the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo from Sporting CP.[187] The stadium was awarded a 'five-star' certificate at2005 UEFA Cup Final by thenUEFA presidentLennart Johansson. The stadium has a capacity of 50,095 spectators.[188] TheMultidesportivo Sporting, is a multi-sports arena located in a five-floorsemi-detached building next to the stadium proper.[citation needed]
The stadium hosted quarter-finals and semi-finals matches during the2019–20 UEFA Champions League,[189] and recently has hosted the2024–25 UEFA Women's Champions League final,[190] an event the marked the last match played on the stadium before it underwent a remodling stage that will modernize the facilities, add more than 2,000 seats to the overall capacity and eliminate a much long contested and conterversial "pit" that existed between the seated stands and the pitch.[191]
The Cristiano Ronaldo Academy is the center of all Sporting CP's football activity. It is the place where the Sporting CP professional football team has all its daily preparation and also serves as a hub for carrying out internships. It is at the Sporting Professional Academy of Football that Sporting hosts its support staff, which includes the directive, clinical and administrative components. On the other hand, the academy is also Sporting CP's Sports Training School.[192]
In the victorious campaign ofPortuguese National Team in theEuro 2016 10 out of the 14 players who played the final against France were players "made in Sporting".[194][195] Moreover, at the2018 FIFA World Cup Sporting CP had 14 players that came through their youth system, making it the most represented youth academy system in the tournament, followed byBarcelona with eleven.[196]
With a total capacity of 3,000 seats, spread over 4 stands and a corporate area, Sporting CP's indoor arena named after former Sporting CP's presidentJoão Rocha is the largest one in Portugal belonging to a sports club. Its dimensions meet the requirements for all indoorteam sports, with an automatic table system forroller hockey, and an advanced video and multimedia system. In the roundabout between the pavilion and the stadium, a monument was also inaugurated to evoke the club. Those who follow the path that surrounds the pavilion will find thePasseio da Fama (Walk of Fame) of Sporting CP's former and current athletic glories where the names of famous Sporting CP's players, athletes, coaching staff and executives such asAntónio Livramento,Carlos Lopes,Dionísio Castro,Domingos Castro,Fernando Mamede,Fernando Peyroteo,Francis Obikwelu,Joaquim Agostinho,José Travassos,Manuel Fernandes,Mário Moniz Pereira,Miguel Maia,Naide Gomes,Patrícia Mamona andTeresa Machado, among many others, can be found.[197] Next to the pavilion there is the Sporting CP's youth academy schoolEscola Academia Aurélio Pereira (named after the club's historical youth development principalAurélio Pereira) with three 5-a-side football fields, with the aim of complementing the Pólo EUL (Sporting CP's facilities for U13 development footballers at the EUL –Estádio Universitário de Lisboa).[198][199] One of the entrances to the pavilion gives access to a Loja Verde (the club's official store) and to a branch of the Sporting Museum, with a design more focused on virtual realities and the concept of a museum in real time. There is also an auditorium prepared to host conferences, training courses and special events. The Pavilion and all the surrounding space is prepared to host concerts and cultural events.[200]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
The Portuguese League top scorer was awarded the Silver Shoe from 1934 to 1935 until 1951–52. Since the 1952–53 season, the sports newspaperA Bola awards the Silver Ball prize.[203]
The Player of the Year award is named after former playerFrancisco Stromp, and was instituted from 1992. The list below is a list of winners of the award.
Jornal Sporting is a weekly newspaper published by Sporting. Beginning its activity asSporting Club of Portugal Bulletin on 31 March 1922, it was initially an eight-page calendar, with the optional payment of $2 a semester. Under the direction of Artur da Cunha Rosa, the bulletin became known as a newspaper in June 1952.
Sporting TV is the television channel of Sporting Clube de Portugal. An open channel available on satellite and cable television and online, it is offered by telecommunications companiesMEO,NOS,Vodafone andNowo in Portugal,[231][232] and also in other countries like Angola and Mozambique, where it is broadcast by operatorZAP.[233] The channel broadcasts content linked to Sporting CP's universe ranging fromdocumentaries,interviews,talk shows,news and post-match analysis and commentary programs, to live and recorded Sporting CP'sball sport matches and coverage of all the other competitions and sporting events involving the multi-sports club.[234][235]
Inaugurated on 31 August 2004 in Lisbon, the Sporting Museum (Museu Sporting) is divided into several thematic areas that express the wealth of the club's heritage and its sporting achievements over more than a century of existence in thirty-two different modalities. About two thousand trophies are on display, and there are many others in store.[236][237][238][239][240]
The history of the museum dates back to the trophy room of the old headquarters on Rua do Passadiço, where in 1956, 1850 trophies were already stored. In 1994, PresidentSousa Cintra inaugurated a new trophy room, where less than half of the club's collections were exhibited.[241] The following year the remodeling and organization of the museum is promoted, and a conservative viewpoint is incorporated. During the construction of the newEstádio José Alvalade a new museum is inaugurated, culminating in four years of investigation. Throughout the years, through donations with several origins, in addition to the trophies the patrimony of the club never stopped growing. In July 2016, there was a new inauguration after a total renovation.[242][236][237][243]
Sporting CP had already developedsocial solidarity initiatives throughout its history, but in 2006 it created a section called Sporting Solidário, which until the creation of the Sporting Foundation developed a series of social solidarity actions.[249] Established in 2012,[250][251] the Fundação Sporting (Sporting Foundation), is ahumanitariancharityfoundation devoted to helping people in need, includingchildren at risk, thehomeless and war victims.[252][253][254][255][256]In-kind donations are collected by the Sporting Foundation on match days[257][258][259][260][261] and the proceeds from the sale of tickets of some selected matches at Estádio José Alvalade go to the Sporting Foundation to finance the foundation's charity work.[262][263][264][265]
^ab"Club History – The Badge".Sporting Clube de Portugal. 9 July 2015.Archived from the original on 8 December 2021. Retrieved14 December 2021.with the Club largely being known a "Sporting Lisbon" abroad
^ab"Resumo Histórico" [Historical Summary]. Sporting Clube de Portugal. 10 March 2015.Archived from the original on 11 September 2018. Retrieved22 September 2018.
^"O pior Sporting de sempre".desporto.sapo.pt. Eduardo Santiago. 20 May 2013.Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved23 December 2015.
^"Todo o filme da Assembleia Geral que afastou Bruno de Carvalho da presidência" [The entire film of the General Assembly that took Bruno de Carvalho away from presidency].A Bola (in Portuguese).Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved24 June 2018.Oficial: Bruno de Carvalho já não é presidente do Sporting, depois de o 'sim' à sua destituição ter recolhido 71 por cento das preferências dos sócios. 28 por cento dos sócios pretendiam a continuidade do ex-presidente do clube de Alvalade.
^ab"A História dos Emblemas" [The History of Emblems].sporting.pt (in European Portuguese). Sporting Clube de Portugal. 6 April 2015. Archived fromthe original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved3 March 2024.
^Óca, João Pedro; Pereira, António Martins (12 May 2017)."Aliança de FC Porto e Sporting para tirar domínio ao Benfica" [FC Porto and Sporting's alliance to take out Benfica's domination].Correio da Manhã (in Portuguese).Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved19 October 2018.
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