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Vitória Sport Clube is a Portuguese
sports club based in the city of Guimarães, located 40
km northeast of Porto in Portugal. The club is reported to have
been established in 1922. In Portugal it is usually called Vitória
de Guimarães to distinguish itself from Vitória
FC, a club from Setúbal, known as Vitória de Setúbal.
Recent history
Although Vitória de Guimarães have never won the
Portuguese Football Championship or the Portuguese Football
Cup, it is one of the most respected clubs in Portugal, playing
in the top division for the last few decades, usually challenging
for a UEFA Cup place. However, in 2005/2006 season, the team
was relegated to Segunda Liga after its worst championship performance
in decades.
In the early 2000s, Vitória struggled to keep itself
in the top Portuguese division (Superliga). Those years were
marked by the decline of the leadership of Pimenta Machado,
former president of the club. Machado was accused on charges
of embezzlement. Despite this, Vitória had an impressive
season. Progress continued in 2004-05, when they secured an
impressive league fifth-place finish and qualified for European
competition (the UEFA Cup). Vitoria's recent renaissance fell
apart in 2005-06, as they finished 17th in the Superliga despite
reaching the cup semi-final, having beaten SL Benfica in the
quarter-final where Flávio Meireles scored a goal with
his hand. They also failed to progress from their UEFA cup group,
as eventual winners Sevilla FC, Premier League outfit Bolton
Wanderers and Russian team Zenit progressed.
After the fall, everyone thought that Vitória would get
back in the 1st Division quite easily, even though the team
itself wasn't that great. Then, what happened was almost a bad
nightmare for the fans. Vitória, in the middle of the
season, was rounding the 10th place and lower, with very few
chances of getting promoted. During the Winter stop, there was
a change in the club's Direction and a new coach was hired (Manuel
Cajuda). What followed next, was a dream. Vitória started
winning game, after game, and in the end managed to get the
2nd place in the 29th game of the 2nd Division. Their promotion
was guaranteed.
The promotion was crowned with a 3rd place in the 2007-2008
season, guaranteeing a place in the 3rd qualifying round of
the Champions' League.
New stadium
Estádio D. Afonso Henriques is a football (soccer) stadium
in Guimarães, Portugal. It was expanded and refurbished
for the Euro 2004 competition, and it seats 29,865 people.
In 2004, a new leadership era began with Vítor Magalhães
(former President of Moreirense, another team from Guimarães
municipality) and the team finished the championship in 5th
place. In 2006 the team was relegated. Vitória Sport
Clube plays at D. Afonso Henriques Stadium, one of the host
stadiums of Euro 2004.
After the "Big Three", Benfica, F.C. Porto and Sporting,
Vitória is the club which attracts most supporters to
the stadium, with average attendances of 20,000 per game. (Vitória
usually has a higher average than all the other clubs, even
when the club played in the 2 Division/League).
Minho Rivalry
Aside from the loyalty of the supporters, which earned the White
Angels the title "Best fans of the country" and became
famous for the massive "invasions" to every city where
Vitória plays, there is also a hooligan side, which often
give the club a bad name.
The city of Guimarães is often referred to as the "birthplace
of the Portuguese nationality" and was the birthplace of
Afonso I of Portugal, the first Portuguese king. This only adds
fuel to the ever growing derby of Minho province with neighbours
SC Braga.
This derby is considered one of Portugal's most intense matches
as both clubs battle each year to reach a European competition.
Both clubs have even tested each other in Europe where in the
90's Vitória were one of Portugal's best in Europe beating
sides like Parma AC, Atlético Madrid, Real Sociedad and
Sparta Prague have been eliminated from European competitions
by Guimarães.
The derby also intensified during UEFA EURO 2004 hosted by Portugal
where both clubs were involved in new stadium reconstruction;
both clubs looked for UEFA qualification but, despite reaching
the 2005-2006 Portuguese Cup semi-finals and having a decent
UEFA Cup participation, Vitória finally got relegated.
It didn't take much for Vitória to get back on top, and
after just one year in the Portuguese 2nd division they earned
the promotion. So, nowadays SC Braga had been better than Vitoria,
but it doesn't mean they are less rival.
In 2007-08, the "duels" were exciting as always, providing
great games and lots of supporters from both sides, both in
Braga and in Guimarães. With Vitoria back in the BwinLiga
(the Portuguese 1st Division/League) the emotion of one of the
biggest derbies also got back, which pleased countless football
fans.
Fans
Vitória de Guimarães possibly have the most different
fans in Portugal. The biggest supporters group claque are the
White Angels, their motto is "Somos únicos"
(We are unique).
The Vitória fans are also known to be one of the few
supporters group that has no preference for any of the "big
three"[citations needed], Guimarães does not have
houses of the big clubs. The attempts of opening any in the
city led to the houses being completely trashed. This shows
the pride (and a kind of xenophobia) of the supporters for their
home and its independence, even though it sometimes goes to
far and ends up in some violent acts.
A self confessed Vitória fan is Fernando Meira who played
at the club and now plays in Galatasaray (Turkey). Meira, as
the captain of VfB Stuttgart, raised the trophy of German champions
in 2006-07, holding a scarf of Vitória Sport Clube.
Official Song
O actual Hino do Vitória de Guimarães é
da autoria José Alberto Reis. Oiça a música
e conheça a letra do Hino oficial dos vimaranenses.
Foi
um povo sonhador
Com garra e determinado
Que fez nascer um país
Desta terra começado
E o mesmo povo com esperança
Alguns séculos após
Fez nascer o nosso clube
Orgulho de todos nós
Vitória,
Vitória!
Vamos todos festejar
Toda a alma e toda a glória
Deste clube a triunfar
Vitória, Vitória!
De Guimarães a final
O Berço do meu clube e também de Portugal
Das
bancadas do estádio
Cantemos com vivacidade
Encorajando os atletas
Do clube desta cidade
Sonhemos a preto e branco
Com o almejar da vitória
Hasteemos a bandeira
Símbolo da nossa história
Vitória,
Vitória!
Vamos todos festejar
Toda a alma e toda a glória
Deste clube a triunfar
Vitória, Vitória!
De Guimarães a final
O Berço do meu clube e também de Portugal
Vitória,
Vitória!
Vamos todos festejar
Toda a alma e toda a glória
Deste clube a triunfar
Vitória, Vitória!
De Guimarães a final
O Berço do meu clube e também de Portugal
Vitória,
Vitória!
Vamos todos festejar
Toda a alma e toda a glória
Deste clube a triunfar!
»
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