Big Game in September

I'm a little behind with the blogging but have a few minutes now, so will try to write at least one...

I can't remember if I've ever mentioned Benfica and Sporting, two of the well know soccer clubs and top rivalries here in Lisbon. We happen to live between the two stadiums, about a 15-20 minute walk to either of them from our apartment. At least twice a year they will play each other and they have a custom that is interesting to see. It is also the times of the year that you will see the largest amount of police, police vehicles and vans, police dogs, and medical vehicles all in one place at one time - well, maybe the Pope's visit to Lisbon topped the Benfica/Sporting games but it would have been a close call. It is surprising to see so many security personnel and vehicles when most of the time you rarely ever see any.

The home team fans gather at their own stadium and then walk to the "away" game stadium. The police block off the streets and then escort before, behind and along the sides, the huge mass of people that are walking, singing and chanting as they go. One of the streets that they take passes right in front of our building, so on that day we know to leave or come before or after the crowd has passed by.

The visiting team has to stay in the stadium for a whole hour after the end of the game and then they are released to do the return walk with all the security again. If they let them out at the same time it would be too hard to control the crowd.

The last game they had was September 19 and Sporting lost to Benficia, so they were a little more subdued on the walk back to their stadium but that didn't stop them from stopping in the walk from time to time to loudly cheer their team and sing the team song.

Embarrassing to say, as I was taking pictures from our balcony, I had to delete one that I had taken and had not noticed that 3 of the male fans had come into the yard of our building and were using the bushes to relieve themselves of some of the beer they were drinking.

The team colors of Sporting are green and white, Benfica's are red and white, and I can't help but think  of the Harry Potter movies and the "teams" when I see these fans. (Side note: it was too dark to get a good picture on the return walk that night. I'd intended to get one of all the police vans but missed that one too.)