Club statement regarding Miroslav Blazevic

In light of recent statements made by Mr. Miroslav Blazevic, Sporting Clube de Portugal notes the following:

1. Sporting Clube de Portugal vemently reputes the statements made by Mr. Miroslav Blazevic. As well as being an insult to Sporting Clube de Portugal and all Sporting fans, the former Croatia national coach also offended Portugal and all Portuguese people. We consider this to be unacceptable.

2. Never, in is almost 110 years of history, has Sporting Clube de Portugal tolerated attitudes which call true sportsmanship into doubt and the club has never tolerated such behaviour from other institutions. Moreover, the current board of directors has been working to guarantee further transparency in what is proof of Sporting Clube de Portugal's dedication to the ideals of true sportsmanship.

3. Sporting Clube de Portugal has already taken the decision to litigate against Mr. Miroslav Blazevic in the appropriate forums, to prove that his statements are unacceptable and unfounded.

4. Sporting Clube de Portugal shows total solidarity with the Portuguese Football Federation in relation to however that institution wishes to proceed.

5. Mr. Miroslav Blazevic is a man fraught with hate, but he is also spiteful. If he was worthy of credit, considering the experience that his 81 years should have given him, the Croatian Football Federation, with whom he worked, would have recognised his know-how for preparing for Saturday's match against Portugal. As he himself assumed, this did not happen.

Bruno de Carvalho at Alcobaça Supporters' Club celebrations

Speaking in a special event at the Alcobaça Sporting Supporters' Club, Bruno de Carvalho shared his thoughts on life in the Alvalade hot seat.

"Everything that hasn't happened won't make us weaker. It will make us even more determined to make our voice heard. When we arrived three years ago we said that football needed to rebuild its credibility and every day we have more and more examples of why that is needed", said Bruno de Carvalho at the event, adding a work on refereeing: "Some Portuguese clubs have opened their eyes now. Bring in the video referee and give people what they want, which is justice and good sportsmanship. We are wasting a lot of time talking about it instead of doing it."

For Bruno de Carvalho, reforms shouldn't stop with just football: "Of course it isn't just football. We hae all seen what is happening in Portuguese handball as well. We can't just sit back and watch a team refuse us tickets. Nobody was worried about it and then the same thing happened with Benfica and the game was canceled. Enough is enough."

Alvalade ladies in instoppable form in Mersin

Sporting closed the first of two days of action in the European Champions Club Cup Track and Field senior in first place this Saturday.

Alvalade's ladies won a total of seven of the 11 events up or grabs: Marta Onofre (pole vault), Patrícia Mamona (triple jump), Vera Barbosa (400m hurdles), Irina Rodrigues (discus), Lorene Bazolo (100m), Sara Moreira (3000m) and Sviatlana Kudzelich (3000m steeple chase).

A total of nine events will take place on Sunday.

Organised Fan Group holds birthday lunch

The Organised Fan Group Directivo Ultras XXI held a birthday lunch this Saturday to celebrate their 14th anniversary. Repaying the dedication shown by the club's fans during what was a record-breaking season in terms of spectator numbers, coach Jorge Jesus was in attendance, along with youth player João Palhinha, futsal goalkeeper Gonçalo Portugal and handball winger Pedro Solha.

Sport makes it return to Alvalade next season

Sporting Clube de Portugal will once again have basketball as an official sport, after the department was closed following a referendum in 1995. The decision will see the creation of a new department, integrating both a female and male section for next season.

Initially the sport will focus on youth teams (up to under-14), with new age groups opening as the department grows.

Alvalade now 6th in the world in terms of club members

Sporting CP continues to attract new club members by the thousands, now reaching the milestone of 140,000.

The fantastic total moves Alvalade up to 6th in the world in terms of total number of club members.

Alvalade to host brand new ladies football senior and youth system

Twenty one years later, Sporting will once again have its own female football team. Actually, not one, but an entire youth system as well. The club will create an under-17 (13 to 17), under-19 (15 to 19) and senior (over 19) team, as well as an academy for under-9's (6 to 9) and under-12's (10 to 12). 

The under-17 team will play in the 7-a-side Lisbon District Championship, while the under.19 team will play in the 9-a-side National Junior Championship. Meanwhile, the seniors will play in the 11-a-side Allianz Liga 1st division.

The Academy will operate for the under-17 and under-19 teams in Lisbon's Cidade Universitária, with three weekly sessions from 19h30 to 21h00. The seniors will train four times a week, from 20h30 to 22h00.

Female football has recently exploded in popularity in Portugal, with official statistics indicating a yearly 20% increase in participants in the sport. 

Sporting CP statement

In light of news articles published in the media, Sporting Clube de Portugal SAD hereby repudiates the content published therein and reiterates what was has already been stated by president Bruno de Carvalho:

1 – The contract renewals and players signed in the summer transfer market will make up the squad for next season

2 – Players will be signed if players leave. Any player leaving will always be for the respective buy-out clause

3 – This is the strategy which has been defined by SAD relative to the transfer market and the transfer of players to and from the club

4 – It is the coach who works with the squad and our objectives are clear: win titles domestically and gain success in Europe

5 – No Director of Sport will be signed and, as announced by the president, Octávio Machado will continue in his role

6 – Decisions such as the substitution of the pitch in Estádio José Alvalade or the improvement of the structure supporting the professional football team will always be on the exclusive initiative and are the responsibility of the SAD Administration

7 – The renewed contract with coach Jorge Jesus has exactly the same terms as the contract initially signed, contrary to what has been suggested

8 – As was affirmed by the president yesterday, various departments are undergoing alterations on the initiative of the SAD Administration and the heads of each department.

Alvalade goalkeeping coach invited to take part in premier event

Sporting's goalkeeping coach, Nélson Pereira, will we one of an impressive group of speakers taking part in an international conference on goalkeeping, taking place in Croatia from the 23rd to the 25th of May.

Various generations of shotstoppers will be in Zagreb for the event, including the Croatian national custodian, Stipe Pletikosa.

Official club statement

In light of the incidents in the vicinity of Estádio José Alvalade this weekend and following the release of images from a video from a video camera installed in the headquarters of one of our Organised Fan Groups, the Sporting Clube de Portugal board of directors has made an official complaint to the Lisbon Metropolitan Command.

The images show a barbarous attack on at least one Sporting fan, without any apparent provocation/justification visible in the images.

This is a saddening incident which has no place in the modern world.

We fully expect clear answers and punishment for those involved.