CF Estrela da Amadora v Sporting CP

 

CF Estrela da Amadora v Sporting CP 
Sunday August 9th, 2026
Estádio José Gómes 
Matchday 1

The Warm Up

Of the seventeen possible opponents for the lions to face in their opening fixture of the 2026/27 campaign, other than maybe newly promoted Academico Viseu, I don’t think you could have picked a better opponent than Estrela. They survived relegation by the skin of their teeth last time out finishing level on points with 3rd bottom Casa Pia who went into the play offs. Moreover, all the signs were that they were about to do a Boavista and implode financially so it feels a genuine surprise that they’ve been able to provide the guarantees that will enable them to start in the Liga for the forthcoming season. By the time the sides meet, what is left of the neighbours squad will be anyone’s guess. If I was to put money on any side going down come the end of May then sorry Estrela fans but I’m betting the house on you in the here and now unless much needed capital and investment is found. It feels like they’re facing a tough ten months ahead of them. As the crow flies the two stadiums are separated by no more than 6 kms, but the future of the two clubs feels worlds apart right now.

On May 22nd it was reported in the Portuguese media outlet Sapo that the club currently carries a debt in the region of €25m and were seeking to pay just 10% of what they owe to creditors which equates to just €2.5m. They had to submit an application to the Court of Sintra on how they hoped to proceed and meet their current liabilities. The SAD claims to believe the situation is recoverable despite having no cash in hand. The creditors include the Brazilian side Flamengo who have a claim with the Portuguese courts for €5.7m. Owing money to any creditor is bad enough, but when you owe money to other clubs that you cannot pay back then the footballing authorities first line of punishment is to prevent you from signing new players. Tie this is with a need to sell players to pay off your debts and it’s a recipe for disaster and as we’ve already pointed out, it’s not like last season went that well to begin with.

Financial woes are nothing new to this club in a historical context. The current iteration only began in 2011 so it’s taken just 15 years to end up back in the same sort of financial mess that took the previous club under financially. In UK law we have the CVA (Company Voluntary Arrangements) process which companies use to try secure a deal with their creditors to move forward and allow them to continue to trade. Generally in terms of football clubs the offer has traditionally been for around 20p in the pound meaning 80% of debt is written off if accepted. The introduction of the Football Creditors Rule however means that all football related debt (unpaid transfer fees, player contracts and agent wages) have to be paid in full. Previously it was also the case that the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) would only potentially receive a % of their debt owed but I believe this has now been changed so that they also get the preferred creditor status. In Portugal they have the PER - Processo Especial de Revitalização (Special Revitalization Process) which I will assume to be a similar legal procedure as the CVA here. Having submitted their proposal to the courts, it was rejected and in a statement on the club website on June 26th, they confirmed that they would appeal the decision. Their statement;

In the present case, the plan was approved by an absolutely expressive majority, more than 99% of the voting creditors in number and by more than 60% of the value of the credits, unequivocally demonstrating the confidence of the creditors in the solution presented and in the viability of Estrela da Amadora.

The Club and SAD therefore understand that the will clearly expressed by the creditors deserves special respect, especially as it constitutes the essence of the revitalisation mechanism provided for in the Insolvency and Business Recovery Code.

Without prejudice to the appeal to be filed, and despite the fact that Estrela da Amadora continues to disagree with the understanding adopted by the Court, the necessary steps were taken to respond to the issues identified in the decision, eliminating any doubt that could remain as to the compliance of the plan with the legal requirements.

Estrela da Amadora maintains full confidence that the higher court will assess the matter in accordance with the applicable legal framework, ensuring a balance between the control of legality entrusted to the courts and respect for the sovereign will of creditors, expressed through the legally required majorities.

Finally, Estrela da Amadora regrets the dissemination of incorrect information that has been circulating in some media regarding its situation.

In this sense, it categorically clarifies that it complies with the legally required assumptions for sports licensing, remaining committed to ensuring the institutional, financial and sporting stability of the Club and SAD.

Estrela da Amadora will continue to act with transparency, responsibility and absolute respect for the institutions, while defending, by all legally provided means, the legitimate interests of the Club, SAD, its employees, its creditors, its members and fans.

The Portuguese paper O Jogo stated - Even with this non-approval of the PER, licensing in the League should not be compromised, as long as those responsible for Estrela present the certificates to the Tax and Social Security Authority. That one assumes has happened and is the reason why the club have been allowed to commence the new Liga season.

When you’re at the stage where you need to sell the family silver to survive, it would be really helpful if the footballing Gods smiled down upon you and gave you a moment that you could seize upon to your advantage. Like the early hours of this morning when Sidny Lopes Cabral scores a wondergoal for Cape Verde against the current World Cup holders Argentina. Unfortunately Estrela sold him back in January for €5m to Benfica who just six months later have already flipped him to Turkey. Having the worlds eyes on Jovane in the same game could only be of benefit – well it would be if he wasn’t now out of contract.

Former lion goalkeeper Renan Ribeiro was also released at the end of his contract. Paulo Moreira has joined Famalicão on a free transfer. Assane Ndiaye has gone to CyD Leonesa for free. João Resende has gone to Farense for an undisclosed amount and similarly Semeu Commey to Leixôes. Alex Sola has joined Kiryat Shmona on loan, whilst the loans for Bruno Langa and Billal Brahimi have ended. 

Having to contend with financial difficulties which could spell the end of the club is bad enough, they also have to contend with being at the centre of a new refereeing controversy in Portugal. To be fair controversies between Portuguese football and referees go hand in hand so this is nothing new. Duarte Gomes the Technical Director of Refereeing of the Portuguese Football Federation has been forced to resign his position. It’s alleged that there was interference in the appointments of the Refereeing Council and the origin of the disagreement was in the choice of referees was for Estrela’s last games of the 2025/26 season. According to sources Gomes was informed by Hélder Malheiro that the match official had become aware he was nominated for the game away to Moreirense even before the official designation. Estrela strenuously deny that they had any prior knowledge of the appointment of any referee.

Well that was a cheery start to my reporting on the lions new campaign. I always like to bring you something new to read, so at least you cannot accuse me of copying and pasting what I’ve written before.

Clearly Estrela are going to face an uphill battle to avoid relegation. Cristiano Bacci was brought in for the last three games of last season on a contract that ran until June 30th, 2026. 45 year old Pedro Miguel Marques da Costa Filipe better known as Pepa was announced on July 1st as their new mister. He was previously in charge at Campeonato Brasileiro Série B side Sport Club do Recife. Their record last season read; played 34, won 6, drawn 12, lost 16, GF 38 GA 56. This was good enough for a 15th place finish. Their home record the 14th best in the Liga, read; played 17, won 4, drawn 6, lost 7, GF 21, GA 24. Their away record the 17th best or 2nd worst depending on your point of view, played 17, won 2, drawn 6, lost 9, GF 17, GA 32. Top scorer was Jovane with 7. Their biggest defeats on the road were 4-0 to us and the other neighbours Benfica. They did however manage to record a 5-3 win over Casa Pia. At home their biggest win again came against the Geese winning 4-0, their biggest defeat was 5-0 to Estoril. The lions won this corresponding fixture by a single goal to nil.

Since their return to the top flight in their new guise Estrela have lost all six Liga fixtures to the lions by an aggregate score of 18-4. Their heaviest defeat the 5-1 loss at the José Alvalade in November of 2024.

So what does the future hold for the lions this season? Well if I knew that I'd be off down the bookies and wouldn't be writing this that's for certain. They'll clearly be keen to lay the ghost of Torreense to bed with this opening fixture. The loss in the Taça de Portugal Final at least means we've avoided having to play an additional game at the start of the campaign in the Supertaça. Last season for all its promise ended trophyless and in the end a lack of squad depth and another season of long term injuries put paid to all their ambitions. The lowest point was certainly the defeat by Liga 2 side Torreense in the final which will no doubt cost the Portuguese coefficient massively over the course of the next season with their involvement in European competition. The lions secured Champions League involvement for another season which will benefit them financially and they'll be another season wiser and looking to build on a remarkable European campaign last time out which saw them finish in the top 8 of the group phase and beat the eventual winners PSG 2-1. They've certainly not been shy in June with their investments but we'll certainly be looking at a much changed side by the time the campaign finally kicks off in August. Morita we know definitely won't be with us anymore having come to the end of his contract. At the time of writing captain Morten Hjulmand is said to be inching closer to a move to La Liga with Atlético de Madrid for a fee of around €40m plus €5m in objectives. They're actively looking to move on Daniel Bragança, Pedro Gonçalves and Trincão. Kochorashvili and Faye should either leave on permanent transfers or on loan. Talk is of Fresneda and Araújo being asked to join the captains setup for the season which seems a wise move though you imagine with the Uruguayan it's going to be very much a case of enjoying him whilst we still have him because his reputation has only grown after his two goals at the World Cup Finals. Rafael Nel has a decision to make on whether he stays within the setup or goes out on loan. You hope he stays given how short we were with the injury to Ioannidis last time out. Given how many changes we'll have to the starting XI it's going to take time to bed players in. The World Cup is going to have a knock on effect in August for a few faces with certain players joining pre-season at a later date following extended breaks - Suárez, Araújo, Zalazar, Silva, Diomande, Debast and Inácio. A lot will depend on where FC Porto and Benfica are at come the start of their campaigns. The pigeons have a familiar face at the helm in the shape of former Sporting mister Marco Silva who returns to Portugal having latterly been with Fulham in the Premier League. We'll see how their summer window develops with incoming transfers. They've certainly been active since the window opened but that's been with players exiting the building presumably to generate funds following their failure to guarantee Champions League football for next season. FC Porto as the current league champions will have that particular additional European burden to add to their season this time around. Given some of the dreadful football served up by Farioli last season you have to wonder how long their fans will be having him if they get off to an indifferent start this time around. One thing is certain, the propaganda wing of the Dragão will be in full effect, in fact it's already started and we've not had a ball kicked in anger. The lions for me were still the best side on the eye last time out and even without Gyökeres were the top scorers in the division. Rui Borges presided over just two defeats in the league which anywhere else in the world would be hailed as an achievement but this is Portugal where the top three generally writes itself season upon season, it's just the final order that's not known. We'll all of course have pencilled Braga in for their obligatory fourth place. They've been hugely active in the market already this summer although their signings have a feeling of your Nana in the corner shop patiently counting out the correct change which isn't necessarily a bad thing. They've just got to ensure they stay ahead of the chasing pack who all hope to finish fourth and become the best of the rest. Luis Suárez for all his goals last season equally demonstrated that he's nowhere near being an elite forward. His figures for big chances missed and those overall for the lions read as incredibly damning. The signing of Zalazar who's had success with Braga and knows how to find the net on a regular basis will hopefully pay dividends domestically if he can find the same sort of output in terms of goals this time around. Truthfully I'd just like to have a season where the players all stay fit right now. It's been a brutal 24 months. I've no idea how the other signings are likely to bed into the side given the relative failings in the market during that same period. I've written it a couple of times in my pre season match build ups but my biggest worry is that we end up blocking the development paths of some of the youngsters and end up losing another Mateus Fernandes or Afonso Moreira and for what in return? Some magic beans and players who've not worked out. Guilherme needs a big season after they shipped Alisson Santos out to Napoli for €20m. The sale of Reis was all the more painful when you consider how badly we stumbled through April and his experience and quality could have been pivotal. At some point just buying promising youngsters with a view to long term financial success is going to bite you in the ass. I'd like an experienced centre back in the mould of a Sebastián Coates albeit one who’s a bit faster and certainly more reliable fitness wise than Jerry St Juste. I'll be interested to see if Virgínia can provide more of a test to the number one jersey this time out because Rui Silva looked to be like yoghurt turning sour in the heat in the final weeks of the season. We shall see.