Champions League in Lisbon, in consolation with the health risk?

The boundaries between politics and sports run in Portugal is always fluent when it comes to football. When Uefa announced its decision, the finals of the Champions League, and compete to get in the middle of August in Lisbon, met the Prime Minister, the President of the Parliament, the mayor of Lisbon and the head of the Portuguese football Federation in the garden of the President of the Republic. "This is a victory for all the Portuguese. You have resisted the pandemic is great and you can overcome,“ said the socialist head of government, António Costa, with a lot of Pathos in the voice. Just in time for the start of the summer travel season in Portugal, wanted to put concentrated political Elite is a sign that the country is a safe travel destination.

for a Long time it has actually looked after. The Corona-pandemic Portugal met with comparatively late, and as a result, the country had time to prepare, better than other southern European States such as Italy or Spain. The Portuguese health system to withstand the pressure, the mortality rate and the number of infections were low. At the beginning of may the forced easing of measures.

Two modern stadiums and training grounds

Lisbon could also apply with good logistical arguments for the Champions League finals, the draws this Friday (12.00 PM, Sky Sport News HD) with the draw attention. The quarter-finals start on 12. August. There is only one duel, and not in the usual Go - and-return game. The final takes place on 23. August. The city of Lisbon has with the stadiums of Benfica and Sporting two modern venues, the 2014 and the 2005 stage of the Champions League final or a final of the then Uefa Cup had been.

Both clubs also have large training facilities in front of the gates of Lisbon. And, not least, under the Portuguese football Federation holds in the capital city of the 2016 initiate game and workout facility "Cidade de Futebol" – a "football town" with the further training courses for the participating European top clubs.

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not belong to the Portuguese clubs for years. Benfica had failed in the competition in the preliminary round, including RB Leipzig. For the first Time since 1979, it has made it so that no Team from Portugal into the knockout stages of the European competitions. The three large, highly-indebted clubs Porto, Benfica and Sporting will have to sell talented young players earlier and earlier. And South American talents, who had found leagues in the past, Portugal in the way the European leaders are now committed to increasingly directly of financially strong clubs.

The connection to the five major European football leagues in Portugal, missed and had to watch as Russia stole in the five-year rating davonzog and the Portuguese are a solid Champions League starting place. This leads to a lot of frustration among the Fans. Two years ago, the Hooligans had stormed the training ground of Sporting and player beaten up with iron rods. And in may, the team coach of Benfica with the stone throwing was also the German national team player Julian Weigl was slightly injured.

the final round of the Champions League will now be held in Lisbon, has been understood as a kind of consolation for the struggling Portuguese club football. Since the successful hosting of the European football championship in 2004 Portugal was dreaming always of another major tournament. "This is not just a Champions League final game," said the President of Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. "It is a unique event. Not only because of the Format, but also because we all experience a pandemic for the first Time.“