Portugal lifted by local support at first training
Portugal`s first World Cup training session in South Africa was watched by around 2,000 fans on Sunday, an indication of the team`s popularity among the local immigrant community.
|Last Updated: Jun 07, 2010, 09:02 AM IST|Source: Bureau
Durban: Portugal`s first World Cup training session in South Africa was watched by around 2,000 fans on Sunday, an indication of the team`s popularity among the local immigrant community.
The Portuguese squad landed in the morning and was met by thousands of supporters lining the streets of Magaliesburg, a small town some 70 kilometres from Johannesburg near which the team will stay and train.
Around 1,600 tickets were distributed for the hour-long training session at Bekker High School with at least another 400 people trying to watch from the areas behind the ground fencing.
"Ro-nal-do," was the loudest chant heard between the sounds of the vuvuzela horns as the players approached the school`s single stand.
"Everybody knows about the enormous Portuguese community in South Africa, and we expected this kind of thing. It`s just fantastic for us," defender Paulo Ferreira told reporters.There are an estimated 500,000 descendants of Portuguese immigrants in South Africa. Portugal`s final warmup friendly against Mozambique on Tuesday is sold out with organisers saying all 28,000 tickets were bought within 12 hours.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.