Football in Sao Tome and Principe

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Football isprobably the most popular sportin the African island state of São Tomé and Príncipe .

The country has been a Portuguese colony since its discovery and settlement by the Portuguese in 1471 . To this day, football in São Tomé and Príncipe has been shaped by its Portuguese origins and relationships, for example through branches of Portuguese clubs such as Sporting Lisbon . Many Sao-Tome footballers also play in Portugal .

The national football association of the Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe is the Federação Santomense de Futebol (FSF). It was founded in 1975 after the country gained independence from Portugal in the same year. The FSF organizes the national soccer leagues and is responsible for the national soccer team of São Tomé and Príncipe.

Club soccer

Since 1977 the FSF has hosted the national championship, the Campeonato Santomense de Futebol . Since 2013, the winner of the Liga Insular (Inselliga) of São Tomé has been playing against the winner of the Liga Insular by Príncipe in a return match. Previously, the state winner was determined in just one final game. Six clubs on the island play in the first island league on Príncipe, of which the last-placed club is relegated to the second division, the Segunda Divisão . The FSF has three game levels on the much larger island of São Tomé. Ten (up to 2012 twelve) clubs play there in the top island league, the Primeira Divisão . This is followed by a second division, the Segunda Divisão , also with ten clubs. The lowest level is the third division, the Terceira Divisão , which is divided into two groups of five teams each.

The record winner of the Campeonato Santomense is the club Sporting Clube Praia Cruz with 6 titles, followed by Vitória Futebol Clube de Riboque with 5 championships (as of 2014). The UDRA de Angolares won the national championship for the first time in 2014 . With his second victory of the state cup in a row in 2014, he achieved the double for the first time .

The championship was suspended in various individual years as a result of politically unstable situations in the country or the association's financial distress. So far, the title has gone to clubs from São Tomé 22 times, seven titles have gone to the island of Príncipe.

The national cup Taça Nacional de São Tomé e Príncipe will first be played on the two main islands. The two winners then determine the cup winner in a final. The record holder is Vitória Riboque with eight cup wins.

National team

The São Tomé and Príncipe national soccer team has been participating in FIFA tournaments since 1994 . So far she has not been able to qualify for a World Cup , an African Championship or the African Nations Cup. It was largely inactive between 2003 and 2011.

In December 2014, Sao Tome and Principe ranked 170th in the FIFA world rankings . The selection achieved its highest FIFA ranking in March 2012 with 115th place, the worst in September 2007 with 200th place.

Women's soccer

A uniform national championship has been played in São Tomé and Príncipe since 2002. The first division, the Campeonato Nacional de Futebol Feminino , consists of 10 teams.

The São Tomé women's national football team has not yet qualified for any international competition. In 2010, São Tomé was ranked 59th in the FIFA Women's World Ranking.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Article of December 17, 2014 on the UDRA Angolares championship of the São Tomés news portal Téla Nón, accessed on December 31, 2014
  2. Cup results São Tomé and Príncipes on the website of the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation , accessed on December 31, 2014
  3. Overview of São Tomé and Príncipe on the FIFA website, accessed on December 31, 2014
  4. Article of November 25, 2013 on FIFA's plans to promote women's football in São Tomé and Príncipe on the website of the Angolan sports newspaper Jornal dos Desportos , accessed on December 31, 2014
  5. Article of August 6, 2013 about problems in women's football on São Tomé and Príncipe on the website of Deutsche Welle (port.), Accessed on December 31, 2014