Boavista F.C.

Boavista
Full name Boavista Futebol Clube
Nickname(s) As Panteras
(Panthers)
Os Axadrezados
(Checkereds)
Founded 1903; 108 years ago (1903)
Ground Estádio do Bessa, Porto,
Portugal
(Capacity: 28,263)
Manager Mário Silva
League Portuguese Second Division
2010–11 Portuguese Second Division, 2nd
Home colours
Away colours
Third colours

Boavista Futebol Clube, commonly known as Boavista (Portuguese pronunciation: [boɐˈviʃtɐ]), is a Portuguese sports club from the city of Porto. Founded on 1 August 1903, it is one of the oldest clubs in the country, and currently plays in the third division. It grew to become Porto's second greatest club — behind Porto — with sections dedicated to several sports including football, chess, gymnastics, bicycle racing and futsal, among others, the most notable being the football section with their trademark chequered white and black shirts.

One of the most prominent clubs in Portuguese football, Boavista spent 39 consecutive seasons in the Primeira Liga (50 in total). Its stadium Estádio do Bessa, was built in 1973 and revamped for use in Euro 2004.

Contents

History

Internally, Boavista grew from a minor team in the 1970s to a regular fixture in Europe. Their first "threat" to the league title domination by The Big Three was in 1975–76 under the guidance of José Maria Pedroto, when Boavista finished second, achieving the same position again in 1998–99. Finally, in 2000–01, Boavista won the national championship after beating Desportivo das Aves 3–0, on 18 May. The following season saw them finish second to Sporting Clube de Portugal.

In Europe, Boavista have achieved some success, and are referred to as 'the club with the strange shirts'. The highlight was their brilliant UEFA Cup run in 2002–03, when they were knocked out by Celtic in the semi-finals, just one match from what could have been an all-Portuguese and indeed all-Porto final, with F.C. Porto ultimately lifting the trophy. Boavista enjoyed several other high points in the same competition, including the elimination of Atlético Madrid 5–4 in the first round in 1981–82. In 1986–87, Boavista beat ACF Fiorentina but lost to Rangers in a tense second round match at Ibrox Stadium. In 1991–92, they knocked out F.C. Internazionale Milano 2–1 in the first round and, two seasons later, made it to the quarter-finals after knocking out Greek outfit OFI Crete and S.S. Lazio of Italy.

Boavista qualified twice for the UEFA Champions League. In 1999–2000, they finished bottom of their group, thus being eliminated, but, two seasons later, sprang surprise by beating and knocking out German giants Borussia Dortmund in the initial group stages, advancing to the next round with Liverpool. There, "The Panthers" met with stronger challenges like Manchester United and FC Bayern Munich. With their financial objective already met, new horizons opened up for the team as they began their group by surprising FC Nantes at home by winning 1–0, and went to the top of the group after the draw between Manchester United and Bayern Munich, eventually finishing a respectable third.

Boavista has a reputation in Portugal and, to some extent abroad, as an attacking team, playing hard-fought matches, even in defeat. One shining example of this is the 2001 Portuguese title, where the team was the best defense in terms of goals conceded, at the same time having one of the best attacks of the competition. It was only the second time a team other than the Big Three managed to win the title. The other was C.F. Os Belenenses back in the 1945–46 season. This style was mainly the brainchild of coach Jaime Pacheco. With his departure for RCD Mallorca in 2003, the team started to play less attractive football over the next two years. This image started to change when Pacheco was replaced by Carlos Brito for 2005–06 but, ironically, Pacheco came back to replace sacked Željko Petrović in October 2006, who in turn was a late replacement for Porto-bound Jesualdo Ferreira, who departed before the first matchday.

The women's team is one of the strongest in Portugal, having won several titles in a row during the 1990s.

The Sánchez years

Erwin Sánchez, one of Bolivia's football legends, is widely considered to be Boavista's most influential player of the last 15 years, after helping the club win the 2001 league and captaining the team, while also participating in the over-achieving 2003 European campaign. A midfielder with an accurate and powerful long-range shot and a free-kick specialist, he was a leading player for Bolivia both in the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and finals. Sánchez left the club in March 2004, after a brief and unsuccessful spell as its manager.

Later years and major difficulties

2003 marked the latest appearance on the spotlight by the club. The construction of the Estádio do Bessa XXI left a deep hole on the club's finances, and the inability to hire quality players, together with internal turmoil, contributed to the fall of the club. Today, after three consecutive failures to achieve European competition, Boavista is living through a deep crisis. Talisman coach Jaime Pacheco returned for a third stint as Boavista manager, but the club did not manage to leave the second half of the table. Also, a financial crisis prompted the club to a "back-to-basics" attitude, betting on younger players and resurrecting the club's youth academy, in a club that launched the careers of well-known players as João Vieira Pinto, Petit and Nuno Gomes.

Despite finishing ninth in the 2007–08 season, Boavista was relegated to the second division due to alleged intimidation of referees in 2003–04, through its involvement in the Apito Dourado corruption scandal.

The club suffered greatly throughout 2008–09, and although finishing in 15th place was, at first, spared from relegation to the third level, due to the irregularities-related demotion of F.C. Vizela. The club's financial debts, however, led to an eventual demotion nonetheless.

Current squad

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

No. Position Player
1 GK Marco Sousa
2 DF Filipe Babo
3 DF Huguinho
4 DF Hélio
5 DF Léo Bonfim
6 MF Malafaia
8 FW Pedrinho
9 FW Fary Faye
10 MF Kadinha
11 FW Dédé
12 GK Cavadas
13 FW Renato Queirós
14 MF Zamorano
15 MF Vítor Fonseca
No. Position Player
17 FW Nuninho
18 MF Émerson
19 FW Nélson Cunha
20 MF Joel
22 MF Guerra
23 FW Hugo
24 GK Hugo Magalhães
25 MF Wilsinho
26 FW Cláudio Sanches
27 FW Paulo Campos
29 FW Murillo
30 DF Machado
31 DF Flávio
32 DF William

Honours

League and cup history

The club has 50 presences at the top level of Portuguese football. In 1979, it also won the very first edition of the domestic supercup.

Season Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Cup Europe Notes
1934–35 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
1935–36 CL 6 14 4 3 7 24 39 11 Relegated
1936–37 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
1937–38 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
1938–39 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
1939–40 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Quarter-final
1940–41 1D 8 14 2 1 11 12 63 5 Last 16 Relegated
1941–42 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
1942–43 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
1943–44 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
1944–45 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
1945–46 1D 11 22 6 0 16 39 73 12
1946–47 1D 9 26 7 6 13 52 74 20 Not held
1947–48 1D 9 26 9 2 15 40 65 20
1948–49 1D 14 26 4 6 16 35 89 14 Relegated
1949–50 2D ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Promoted
1950–51 1D 10 26 10 3 13 50 62 23
1951–52 1D 5 26 12 1 13 47 55 25
1952–53 1D 9 26 7 6 13 35 54 20
1953–54 1D 11 26 7 5 14 29 66 19
1954–55 1D 13 26 7 4 15 33 71 18 Relegated
1955–56 2D ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
1956–57 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
1957–58 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
1958–59 2D ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Promoted
1959–60 1D 14 26 4 4 18 27 81 12 Relegated
1960–61 2D ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
1961–62 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
1962–63 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
1963–64 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
1964–65 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
1965–66 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
1966–67 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
1967–68 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
1968–69 2D ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Promoted
1969–70 1D 12 26 6 6 14 35 61 18
1970–71 1D 6 26 9 4 13 18 38 22
1971–72 1D 11 30 7 10 13 28 46 24
1972–73 1D 7 30 12 7 11 41 47 31
1973–74 1D 9 30 9 7 14 35 43 25
1974–75 1D 4 30 16 6 8 58 32 38 Winner
1975–76 1D 2 30 21 6 3 65 23 48 Winner CWC 2nd round
1976–77 1D 4 30 13 8 9 41 33 34 CWC 2nd round
1977–78 1D 7 30 10 8 12 36 38 28 UC 1st round
1978–79 1D 9 30 12 3 15 36 40 27 Winner
1979–80 1D 4 30 15 7 8 44 30 37 CWC 2nd round
1980–81 1D 4 30 14 8 8 36 25 36 UC 2nd round
1981–82 1D 9 30 10 6 14 36 37 26 UC 2nd round
1982–83 1D 5 30 12 6 12 32 38 30
1983–84 1D 7 30 12 7 11 36 31 31
1984–85 1D 4 30 13 11 6 37 26 37
1985–86 1D 5 30 14 8 8 44 29 36 UC 1st round
1986–87 1D 8 30 9 9 12 34 36 27 UC 2nd round
1987–88 1D 5 38 16 14 8 42 25 46
1988–89 1D 3 38 19 11 8 56 29 49
1989–90 1D 8 34 13 8 13 49 36 34 UC 1st round
1990–91 1D 4 38 15 11 12 53 46 41
1991–92 1D 3 34 16 12 6 45 27 44 Winner UC 2nd round
1992–93 1D 4 34 14 11 9 46 34 39 Final CWC 2nd round
1993–94 1D 4 34 16 6 12 46 31 38 UC Quarter-final
1994–95 1D 9 34 12 8 14 40 49 32 UC 2nd round
1995–96 1D 4 34 19 8 7 59 28 65
1996–97 1D 7 34 12 13 9 62 39 49 Winner UC 3rd round
1997–98 1D 6 34 15 10 9 54 31 55 CWC 1st round
1998–99 1D 2 34 20 11 3 57 29 71 Quarter-final
1999–00 1D 4 34 16 7 11 40 31 55 CL Group stage
2000–01 1D 1 34 23 8 3 63 22 77 UC 2nd round
2001–02 1D 2 34 21 7 6 53 20 70 CL 2nd group stage
2002–03 1D 10 34 10 13 11 32 31 43 UC Semi-final
2003–04 1D 8 34 12 11 11 32 31 47
2004–05 1D 6 34 13 11 10 39 43 50 Semi-final
2005–06 1D 6 34 12 14 8 37 29 50 Quarter-final
2006–07 1D 10 30 8 11 11 32 34 35 Quarter-final
2007–08 1D 9 30 8 12 10 32 41 36 5th round Relegated
2008–09 2D 15 30 9 5 16 28 44 32 4th round Relegated
2009–10 3D 7 28 10 7 11 34 38 37 1st round
2010–11 3D 2 30 16 8 6 46 25 56 1st round

Notable former players

Stadium

The Estádio do Bessa (now Estádio do Bessa XXI) is Boavista's home ground, used solely for football.

Like other stadiums used in UEFA Euro 2004, the stadium was built anew for the competition, but on top of the old stands, and each one of them at a different time, allowing Boavista to continue playing there. It cost €45,164,726, from which €7,785,735 were supported from the Portuguese state, and featured an all-seater capacity of 28,263 spectators. Plans for improvement actually existed before the organization of the Euro 2004 was given to Portugal in 1999, and by then, the first works were already underway. It was designed by Grupo Arquitectura.

Colours

Originally fully black, Boavista's kit changed throughout the years. In the 1920s the shorts were changed to white while everything else remained the same. Years later and due to the color black being considered morbid and generating a non consensual feeling towards certain fans, the club's board decided to introduce a black and white striped shirt. Even though if drastically reduced the color black from the kit, it still proved unpopular with some supporters.

Boavista then took the drastic measure to field a team with a shirt made of red, white and blue stripes. The kit was met with some negative remarks from the press and fans, so the colors and patterns had to be changed. After a board member's trip to France, he witnessed a French team playing with a black and white checkered shirt, the dominant colors Boavista had historically on their football kits. Upon his return the team's shirt was finally changed, while the crest was also changed to reflect the new identity Boavista had reached.

Kit evolution
Boavista's first home colours
Second home colours
Third home colours
Fourth home colours
Current home colours

See also

External links

Boavista Futebol Clube
Players · Managers
Home stadium
Other sports