Portuguese football fans are intensifying their protest against the commercialization of the sport, boycotting a domestic cup competition they argue prioritizes marketability and larger clubs over traditional values and fan experience.
The organized fan group Torcida Verde announced Wednesday their continued boycott of the Allianz Cup, Portugal’s League Cup. They described the competition as “anachronistic,” adding that “competitiveness” and “integrity” are absent from its current format.
Torcida Verde stated the cup has been redesigned over the years. This design aims to boost audiences for clubs with a larger market presence, particularly in the Final Four stage. This approach, they said, “infamously disregard[s] the general body of clubs” in Portugal’s professional football league.
Earlier this week, during Sporting’s 5-1 victory over Alverca, fan groups displayed banners. These banners protested the Allianz Cup and its perceived bias towards stronger teams.
The boycott began in the 2023/24 season. Torcida Verde’s action, which involved absence from their usual fan section, serves as a “new warning” against these changes.
Football authorities, referred to by the group as the “owners of the ball,” had an “obsessive goal” to “internationalize” the League Cup. This effort, according to the group, inadvertently “exclud[ed] the general body of fans.”
This internationalization drive ultimately failed. It faced “overwhelming disinterest” from the international audiences it sought to attract.
The fan group views their boycott as a stand for football as a popular sport. They oppose a long-standing process that aims to turn fans into “brand customers” and football into a “consumer product.”