If a nation’s character can be deduced from its music then fado, Portugal’s lilting Latinate blues, says much about the natural disposition of the people. Literally translated as ”fate”, fado captures perfectly the melancholic world view shared by many of the country’s 10,3-million citizens.
In the last week however the bands that wander the bars of Lisbon’s Bario Alto have had to find a fresh repertoire. The impact of hosting Euro 2004 and the injection of pride that has flowed from Sunday’s defeat of the oldest enemy Spain has been huge and the country is dancing to a new tune.
On Thursday night the footballers take on England in a potentially momentous quarterfinal, one that pits the hosts against their oldest historical ally. Win or lose, it is a game that in terms of self-esteem has already gone a long way to justifying the huge investment made in the tournament by a nation on the brink of recession.
Euro 2004 is Portugal’s biggest ever national event, and to a land with unemployment that recently exceeded 7% and health and education standards at the bottom of European league tables, it has brought an economic fillip. The influx of visitors and the jobs created have helped balance the €4-billion cost of staging the event.
As importantly, it has provided a glorious distraction from the everyday. Public scandals involving police corruption and a paedophile ring featuring prominent Portugese politicians were swirling in the media prior to the tournament, but they have been immersed in the tide of national pride.
Nothing symbolises this more directly than Portugese flags that hang from every other balcony in the country, and the doors of passing cars. Even to people as hooked on flag waving as the English it is quite a display of nationhood.
Dating from the 1974 revolution that vanquished the authoritarian nationalist regime, the Portugese national standard is a less complex symbol than the cross of St George and the implications of displaying it are more straightforward, but its prominence is unprecedented. ”It began seven months ago when the government put out advertisements reminding the Portuguese of their responsibility to be good hosts at the tournament,” said Barbara Ferreira, a Portuguese national who works for the British Council in the capital.
”Luis Figo, our greatest footballer, used his charitable foundation to give away free flags and it has caught on. These have been troubled years but the tournament and the defeat of Spain have given us an opportunity to display our nationalism in a positive way.”
The significance of the defeat of Spain should not be underestimated. In the 15th century the two great seafaring nations carved up the globe between them, dividing the New World dominions between them with the consent of the church. Since the age of discovery ended, however, Portugal has spent hundreds of years in Spain’s shadow, dwarfed by its clout in Europe.
”Many people here have said this was the most important victory since the Battle of Aljubarotta in 1385, which banished the Spanish from Portugal,” said Ferreira.
According to Alberto Da Silva, one of Portugal’s most respected historians and football writers, the tournament has been significant not only in restoring national pride, but also in helping Europe’s most westerly nation look east to its continental neighbours.
”We have been in the shadow of Spain and other European nations. Because of our history of exploration we have always been a more African and South American country than a European one, something that is not always appreciated. Euro 2004 has had an effect on that,” he said.
The link with South America is reflected by the national team coach Luis Felipe Scolari, the Brazilian who took his home country to the 2002 World Cup, defeating England on the way. Now his attention and that of his adopted nation turns again to the English, referred to as ou bife , ”the beefs” here since the 19th century when the Duke of Wellington helped kick out the French during the Peninsular wars.
”This is the game of our destiny, there is no other way to describe it,” said Da Silva. ”Last week we defeated Spain, our oldest and greatest enemy, and now with a heavy heart we have to beat our oldest friend, the English. We call them bifes because, like steak, they go red quickly, and we’re used to them doing crazy things when they are pissed,” said Ferreira.
The 50 000 or so English supporters here for the championships have certainly found a warm welcome, a crucial factor in the largely trouble-free atmosphere that has surrounded England’s games. The hospitality will not extend to the pitch tonight, however.
”We have momentum, we are going forward, and you will lose,” said Da Silva. – Guardian Unlimited