Sporting Clube de Portugal

Sporting Clube de Portugal

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Full name	Sporting Clube de Portugal
Nickname(s)	Leões (Lions) Verde-e-Brancos (Green and White)
Short name	SCP
Founded	1 July 1906 (1906-07-01)
Ground	Estádio José Alvalade
Ground Capacity	50,095
President	Bruno de Carvalho
Manager	Jorge Jesus
League	Primeira Liga
2014–15	Primeira Liga, 3rd
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Sporting Clube de Portugal, OM, ComC, MHIH (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈspɔɾtĩŋ ˈkluβ(ɨ) ðɨ puɾtuˈɣaɫ]) (Euronext: SCP) or Sporting CP (colloquially known as Sporting in Lusophone countries, and often referred to as Sporting Lisbon in Anglophone countries) is a Portuguese sports club based in Lisbon. Sporting's most successful sports are roller hockey and athletics, however, they are best known for their association football team.

Founded in Lisbon on 1 July 1906, they are one of the "Três Grandes" (The Big Three) football clubs in Portugal. With over 120,000 club members, They are nicknamed Leões (English: Lions) and Verde-e-Brancos (English: Green and White). The club's anthem, "A Marcha do Sporting" (English: Sporting's March), was written in 1955, and was originally sung by the Portuguese singer Maria José Valério.

Sporting were a founding member of the Primeira Liga and, along with S.L. Benfica and FC Porto, have never been relegated from the top flight of Portuguese football since its establishment in 1934. Sporting are the third most successful Portuguese football club, with 45 titles in Portuguese competitions and one international title, the 1963–64 European Cup Winners' Cup. Domestically, they have won 18 Primeira Liga titles, 16 Portuguese Cups (Taça de Portugal), four Championships of Portugal (a record tied with Porto) and eight Portuguese SuperCup titles.

Sporting is known for its football youth academy system, which has developed footballers such as Nani, Ricardo Quaresma, Paulo Futre and Ballon d'Or recipients Cristiano Ronaldo and Luís Figo. Later, as an honour, Ronaldo was made club member 100,000.

Sporting are currently ranked 36th in UEFA club rankings.

History

Foundation (1902–1906)

Sporting Clube de Portugal has its origins in June 1902, when young men Francisco da Ponte, Horta Gavazzo and his brother José Maria decided to create Sport 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 by José Alvalade and José Stromp, a new club, the Campo Grande Football Club, was founded. They played their matches on the estate of Viscount of Alvalade, the grandfather of José Alvalade, with the club's headquarters located at the house of Francisco Gavazzo.

José Alvalade borrowed money from his grandfather in order to fund Sporting

For two years, the club developed an intense activity on several sports, namely football, tennis and fencing. 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 focused on organizing picnics and social events, with another group defending that the club should focused on the practicing of sports instead. Some time later, José Gavazzo, José Alvalade and 17 other members left the club, with the latter saying

"I am going to have with me my grandfather and he will give me the money to make another club."

As such, a new club, Campo Grande Sporting Clube, was founded. The Viscount of Alvalade, whose money helped to fund the club, was the first president of Sporting. José Alvalade, as one of the main founders, 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."

Three months later, on 1 July 1906, António Félix da Costa Júnior suggested the name Sporting Clube de Portugal, and this date is considered the official day Sporting was founded.

Early years (1907-1940s)

The year 1907 marked some "firsts" for the club, as Sporting's played the first football match of their history on 3 February, ending in a 5–1 defeat against 3rd-tier club Cruz 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 rivals S.L Benfica (then know as Grupo Sport Lisboa) on 1 December.

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.

Sporting played their first Primeira Liga game (the 1st Division of Portuguese football) ever on 20 January 1935, winning 0-6 against Académica de Coimbra. A year later, in 1936, the club had their heaviest defeat ever against Porto, 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 manager József Szabó, the club celebrated the first league title of their history.

The Golden Years (Late 1940s-1970s)

The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup won by Sporting at Museum Mundo Sporting

The football team had their height during the 1940s and 1950s. It was spearheaded by Fernando Peyroteo, José Travassos, Albano Pereira, Jesus Correia and Manuel Vasques, in a quintet nicknamed "The Five Violins". With the violins' help, Sporting won seven league titles in eight seasons between 1947 and 1954, including an unprecedented four in a row from 1950/51 onwards. Fernando Peyroteo, the most known of "the violins", is considered one of the greatest Portuguese players of all time.

Sporting and the Yugoslavian team Partizan 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.

Sporting also inaugurated their new venue, José Alvalade Stadium, on 10 June 1956. This stadium was the home ground of the club until 2003.

In the 1960s, Sporting achieved overseas success, winning the 1963–64 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, defeating MTK Budapest of Hungary in the final. It was the only time a Portuguese team side won a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup title.The team entered the competition defeating Atalanta in the qualifying round, then past Cypriot club APOEL 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 to Manchester United at Old Trafford in the first hand, but made a remarkable comeback at home, winning 5–0. In the semi-finals, Sporting eliminated Lyon, and in the end MTK Budapest, in a two-round final to win their first European title. The winning goal was scored by João Morais from a direct corner kick.

The club reached the semi-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup in 1974, but lost to eventual winners Magdeburg, from East Germany.

Domestic drought (1982–2000)

English manager Malcolm Allison arrived at Sporting in 1981, and under his guidance the club won the domestic double (league title and Portuguese cup), in 1982. However, in the years after, between 1982 and 2000, the Alvalade club suffered from a domestic drought of titles, with the sole trophy won during this time being the Portuguese Cup, in 1995. Sporting also reached the same final in the next year, but lost 3-1 against arch-rivals Benfica.

Despite this, there were some highlights during this time, particularly a 7–1 victory over arch-rivals Benfica at the old José Alvalade Stadium on 14 December 1986. Sporting also reached the UEFA Cup semi-final in 1991, losing against Internazionale.

Finally, in 2000, Sporting, led by manager Augusto Inácio (a former Sporting player, who at the beginning of the season replaced the Italian Giuseppe Materazzi), won the league title on the last match day, with a 4–0 victory over Salgueiros, which effectively put an end to an 18-year drought of a domestic league title.

The New Millennium (2001–present)

Domestically, Sporting has not won a league title since 2002, but managed back-to-back wins in the Portuguese Cup in 2007 and 2008. Additionally, after 41-years, Sporting reached their second European final, the 2005 UEFA Cup Final. Played at their home ground, the team, however, lost 3–1 against Russian club CSKA Moscow. The club almost reached another European final in 2012, but were dropped out of the competition by Athletic Bilbao, in the semi-finals of the 2011–12 Europa League. Sporting also reached, for the first time, the knockout phase of UEFA Champions League, in the 2008–09 season, but were roundly defeated by FC Bayern Munich, with an aggregate loss of 12–1. This is widely regarded as one of the lowest points in the history of the club.

Also, years of financial mismanagement almost led to the demise of the club. In 2011, the club had amassed debts of over €276 million. The results on the pitch were also abysmal, with Sporting finishing seventh - their lowest position ever in the league table - in the 2012–13 Primeira Liga. After immense pressure both from within and outside the club, Luís Godinho Lopes, then-president of Sporting, resigned. Bruno de Carvalho was his successor. With an ambitious speech, Carvalho's intentions were negotiating with the banks, and also putting Sporting back on the trail of glory, while "declaring war" on those that led Sporting to the abyss, suing them on courts.

With a more stable structure within the club, the 2013–14 season saw improvements in the results, as Sporting finished second in the table, thus gaining direct access to the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League, the first time in five years the club reached the top-tier of European competitions.

Sporting playing against German club Schalke 04, in a UEFA Champions League match

In the 2014–15 season, Sporting won their 16th Portuguese Cup in dramatic fashion. In a hot May afternoon, the Alvalade side played the final against Braga, and after a disastrous start, found themselves losing 0–2 at half-time and playing with ten men after the sending-off of Cédric 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. Celebrations ended in a pitch invasion of Estádio José Alvalade by the fans, as the club touched silverware for the first time in seven years.

In June 2015, Jorge Jesus, after Lisbon rivals S.L. Benfica opted not to renew his contract as coach of the club, joined Sporting, 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. Some Portuguese media called the event ''O Verão Quente de 2015" ("The Hot Summer of 2015"). Under Jesus' tenure, Sporting have won the Portuguese Supercup against 2014–15 Primeira Liga champions Benfica.

Team colors

Sporting, ever since its formation in 1906, have always had the green and white colors. The first kit in 1907 was all white until 1908, when they introduced the now referred by fans as "Classic" kit with vertical stripes. The modern horizontal stripes were introduced on a derby against Benfica in 1928.

Kits

Main article: Sporting CP Kits

Crests

Since its formation, on 1 July 1906, Sporting has had six crests, all of which have included the color green and the lion.

Previous Sporting Clube de Portugal Crests

The current crest of Sporting was adopted in 2001. There were also the special anniversary crests to celebrate the 50th (1956) and 100th (2006) anniversaries of the club. These weren't actually worn in kits during matches, but were used as emblems by fans.

File:Sporting Clube de Portugal.png

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Rivalries

Main articles: Derby de Lisboa and FC Porto–Sporting CP rivalry

Sporting's main rivals are Benfica, with both teams contesting the Lisbon Derby (also known as The Eternal Derby). The rivalry started in 1907, when some players of Benfica left the club to join Sporting, looking for better conditions. The first derby of all time was contested on the same year, ending with a 2–1 victory for Sporting.

The most known victory of Sporting over Benfica occurred on 14 December 1986, where Sporting beat arch-rivals 7–1. Manuel Fernandes was particularly inspired, scoring four goals, with Mário Jorge (two goals), and Ralph Meade (one goal) also scoring for Sporting. At the time, Benfica were at the head of the league. However, after the loss, Benfica managed to become Portuguese champions.

Sporting fans at the Estádio da Luz during the Lisbon Derby (2013)

Sportinguistas also remember the derby contested on the evening of 14 May 1994. In a rainy day, with the old José Alvalade Stadium crowded to the top, winning the derby was a decisive step for Sporting, as they were trying to regain the title, which by this time the team hasn't won for 12 years. Sporting were favorites with a squad composed by, among others, Luís Figo, Krasimir Balakov, Ivaylo Yordanov, Emílio Peixe, Stan Valckx and Paulo Sousa (who at the beginning of the season transferred from Benfica). As such, Benfica were seen as the underdogs, but defied the odds with a 3–6 victory, eventually securing the title some weeks later, leaving Sporting empty-handed, in one of the most dramatic seasons in the club's history.

The rivalry has become even more intense after a dramatic incident in the final of the 1996 Portuguese Cup, which Benfica won 3–1. After Benfica scored the first goal, a member of Benfica organised group No Name Boys lit a flare, which struck a Sporting fan in the chest, killing him instantly. On 8 February 2015, during a derby at Alvalade, a supporter's group of Sporting showed a banner, among others, with the inscription "Sigam o King" ("Follow the King"), in reference to Eusébio's death. On the next day, in a futsal derby, members of No Name Boys showed a banner saying "Very Light 96". In 2011, after a loss to Benfica at the Estádio da Luz (1–0), a group of irate Sporting supporters took their frustration out on the stadium by setting it on fire.

Sporting also has a major rivalry with FC Porto.

Facilities

Stadium

Throughout its history, Sporting has had several grounds. The first one was inaugurated on 4 July 1907, and was called "Sítio das Mouras".

In 1956, the first Estádio de Alvalade was inaugurated. Sporting played their matches there until 2003, when the stadium was demolished.

The new José Alvalade Stadium, inaugurated in 2003

The new stadium, Alvalade XXI, ("Estádio José Alvalade"), was built for the UEFA Euro 2004 championship. Designed by Tomás Taveira, it was inaugurated on 6 August 2003. The opening match was a 3–1 victory over Manchester United. This stadium was also the first one in Portugal classified by UEFA as a five-star stadium, enabling it to host finals of major UEFA events. This stadium has a capacity of 50,095 spectators.

Main article: Estádio José Alvalade

Youth Academy

Main article: Sporting C.P. Youth and Academy

Club records

Main article: Sporting Clube de Portugal records and statistics

Honours

Domestic competitions

• Primeira Liga: 18

• 1940–41, 1943–44, 1946–47, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1950–51, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1953–54, 1957–58, 1961–62, 1965–66, 1969–70, 1973–74, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1999–2000, 2001–02

• Portuguese Cup: 16

• 1940–41, 1944–45, 1945–46, 1947–48, 1953–54, 1962–63, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1977–78, 1981–82, 1994–95, 2001–02, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2014–15

• League Cup:

• Runners-up: 2007–08, 2008–09

• Portuguese SuperCup: 8

• 1982, 1987, 1995, 2000, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2015

• Championship of Portugal: 4

• 1922–23, 1933–34, 1935–36, 1937–38

International competitions

• European Cup Winners' Cup: 1

• 1963–64

• UEFA Cup

• Runners-up 2004–05

Players

Current squad

As of 1 September 2015

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Rui Patrício (3rd Captain) 2 MF Ezequiel Schelotto 3 DF Jonathan Silva 4 DF Jefferson 5 DF Ewerton 6 MF Alberto Aquilani 7 MF Zakaria Labyad 8 FW Junya Tanaka 9 FW Islam Slimani 10 FW Fredy Montero 11 FW Bruno César 14 MF William Carvalho (Vice-Captain) 15 DF Paulo Oliveira 17 MF João Mário 18 FW André Carrillo 19 FW Teófilo Gutiérrez

No. Position Player 20 MF Bryan Ruiz 21 DF João Pereira 22 GK Marcelo Boeck 23 MF Adrien Silva (Captain) 24 MF Oriol Rosell 26 GK Ažbe Jug 27 MF Ryan Gauld 28 MF André Martins 30 MF Bruno Paulista 31 DF Marvin Zeegelaar 36 FW Carlos Mané 44 DF Naldo 47 DF Ricardo Esgaio 55 DF Tobias Figueiredo 60 FW Gelson Martins 73 FW Matheus Pereira

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 32 MF Simeon Slavchev (at Apollon Limassol until 30 June 2016) 35 DF Rúben Semedo (at Vitória de Setúbal until 30 June 2016) 42 MF Wallyson Mallmann (at Nice until 30 June 2016) 45 MF Iuri Medeiros (at Moreirense until 30 June 2016) 66 MF João Palhinha (at Moreirense until 30 June 2016)

Award winners

(Whilst playing for Sporting CP)

European Golden Boot

• Héctor Yazalde (46 goals)  – 1974 (Portuguese record)
• Mário Jardel (42 goals)  – 2002

African Footballer of the Year

• Emmanuel Amuneke – 1994

Bulgarian Footballer of the Year

• Krasimir Balakov – 1995
• Ivaylo Yordanov – 1998

Algerian Ballon d'Or

• Islam Slimani – 2013

UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship Golden Player

• Luís Figo – 1994
• William Carvalho – 2015

FIFA U-20 World Cup

Golden Ball

• Emílio Peixe – 1991 Portugal

Silver Ball

• Dani – 1995 Qatar

Bronze Ball

• Paulo Torres – 1991 Portugal

UEFA European Under-17 Championship Golden Player Award

• Miguel Veloso – 2003 Portugal

Portuguese Golden Ball

• Luís Figo – 1994

Portuguese Footballer of the Year ^{1.Diário Popular Newspaper award; 2.Record Newspaper award}

• Rui Jordão¹ – 1980
• António Oliveira¹ – 1981, 1982
• Jorge Cadete² −1990
• Luís Figo^{1; 2} – 1995
• Alberto Acosta² – 2000
• Mário Jardel^{1; 2} – 2002

LPFP Primeira Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year

• Miguel Veloso – 2006–07
• William Carvalho – 2013–14

LPFP Primeira Liga Goalkeeper of the Year

• Rui Patrício – 2011–12

Segunda Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year

• Bruma – 2012–13

FIFA World Cup All-Star Team

• Krasimir Balakov – 1994 United States
• Ricardo – 2006 Germany
• Marcos Rojo – 2014 Brazil

FIFA 100

• Luís Figo
• Peter Schmeichel
• Frank Rijkaard

The 100 Greatest Players of the 20th Century

• Paulo Futre
• Peter Schmeichel
• Frank Rijkaard

Portuguese Top Goalscorer

The Portuguese League top scorer was awarded the Silver Shoe from 1934–35 until 1951–52. Since the 1952–53 season, the sports newspaper A Bola awards the Silver Ball prize.

Year Winner G 1934–35 Manuel Soeiro 14 1936–37 Manuel Soeiro 24 1937–38 Fernando Peyroteo 34 1939–40 Fernando Peyroteo1 29 1940–41 Fernando Peyroteo 29 1945–46 Fernando Peyroteo 37 1946–47 Fernando Peyroteo 43 1948–49 Fernando Peyroteo 40

Year Winner G 1950–51 Manuel Vasques 29 1953–54 João Martins 31 1965–66 Ernesto Figueiredo1 25 1973–74 Héctor Yazalde2,3 46 1974–75 Héctor Yazalde 30 1979–80 Rui Jordão 31 1985–86 Manuel Fernandes 30 1987–88 Paulinho Cascavel 23

Year Winner G 1992–93 Jorge Cadete 18 2001–02 Mário Jardel3 42 2004–05 / Liédson 25 2006–07 / Liédson 15

¹Shared award; ²Portuguese Record; ³European Golden Shoe

Player of the Year

The Player of the Year award is named after former player Francisco Stromp, and was instituted from 1992. The list below is a list of winners of the award.

Year Winner 1992 Krasimir Balakov 1993 Stan Valckx 1994 Luís Figo 1995 Oceano 1996 Ricardo Sá Pinto 1997 Marco Aurélio 1998 Ivaylo Yordanov 1999 Delfim Teixeira

Year Winner 2000 Alberto Acosta 2001 Beto 2002 João Pinto 2003 Pedro Barbosa 2004 Rui Jorge 2005 João Moutinho 2006 Ricardo 2007 / Liédson

Year Winner 2008 Tonel 2009 / Liédson 2010 Daniel Carriço 2011 Rui Patrício 2012 Rui Patrício 2013 Adrien Silva 2014 Nani 2015 William Carvalho

Former coaches

For details on former coaches, see List of Sporting Clube de Portugal managers.

Club officials

As of 24 October 2012.

Directive Board

• President: Bruno de Carvalho
• Vice-Presidents: Artur Torres Pereira, Carlos Vieira, Vicente Moura, Vítor Silva Ferreira, António Rebelo
• Vowel: Bruno Mascarenhas Garcia, Luís Roque, Rui Caeiro, Alexandre Henriques, José Quintela
• Substitutes: Rita Matos, Luís Gestas, Jorge Sanches, Luís Loureiro

General Assembly

• President: Jaime Marta Soares
• Vice-President: Rui Solheiro
• Secretaries: Miguel de Castro, Luís Pereira, Tiago Abade
• Substitutes: Diogo Orvalho, Manuel Mendes, Rui Fernandes

Fiscal and Disciplinary Council

• President: Jorge Bacelar Gouveia
• Vice-President: Nuno Marques
• Vowels: Óscar Figueiredo, Vicente Caldeira Pires, Vítor do Vale, Miguel Fernandes, Jorge Gaspar
• Substitutes: João Peixoto da Silva, Nuno dos Santos, Ricardo Cabral

Sporting – Sociedade Desportiva de Futebol, S.A.D.

Directive Board

• President: Bruno de Carvalho

Others

• Chartered Accountants Society: KPMG & Associados, SROC, S.A.
• Society Secretaries: Patrícia Silva Lopes, Hugo Serra de Moura (Substitute)
• Shareholders' Committee: José Filipe de Mello, Castro Guedes

Others

Leões de Portugal

• President: António Menezes Rodrigues
• Vice-Presidents: Maria Helena Dias Ferreira, Maria da Graça Nunes de Carvalho, Maria Isabel Monteiro Nobre
• Vowels: António Aguiar de Matos, Eduardo Amaro Júlio
• Treasurer: José Monteiro de Castro
• Substitute: Jorge Galrão Jorge, Mário Simões, Ana Rita Ferreira

Other sports

Sporting Clube de Portugal has various sports departments.

Sporting Clube de Portugal Active Sections

aikido	athletics	archery	auto racing
basketball	beach soccer	billiards	boxing
canoeing	capoeira	chess	cycling
equestrianism	football	futsal	golf
gymnastics	handball	judo	karate
kickboxing	korfball	krav maga	paintball
roller hockey	rowing	rugby union	shooting
skating	sport fishing	swimming	table tennis
taekwondo	triathlon	water polo

Extinct sections

• Superleague Formula team

Presidents

Main article: List of Sporting Clube de Portugal presidents

External links

• (Portuguese) (English)
• Sporting Clube de Portugal at UEFA