by On the pitch, Group B3 brought together the forces of Portugal, Northern Ireland, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Malta. As always, the jubilations and disappointments echoed from the pitches toward the supporters in the stands. I met Alma by chance in Leiria and in discussing the anticipation for the match between Portugal and Malta, she let me in on her story, one that truly epitomizes ‘The Sporting Fan’.
Falling In Love With The Game Of Football
Slogans of football uniting people have at times started to sound stale in a game that is so driven by commercial aspects. However, what made football the global phenomenon it is today, is truly not just the emotions during those ninety minutes, but their power beyond them.
The story evolving in Group B3 in the UEFA Women’s Qualifications was not only one of points in a table. It was one that truly drove home the power of football to connect, through the eyes of a football fan, Alma.
Born in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Alma now finds her home in Leiria, Portugal. Although she dabbled in basketball at a young age, she never gave football much thought until she went to Portugal and met her husband, a hardcore Portuguese football fan.
Since then, Alma has fallen in love with the game, “It is great to see the teams play and here I feel that the women are really getting equal treatment. So, I support all the teams. The football is fantastic, they are really great fighters.”
The heartbreak of seeing the men’s team exit the UEFA EURO 2024 was too much for her to watch the competition beyond, including the final between England and Spain. However, as the men’s competition ended, the women’s team finalised a strong campaign to return to League A by topping Group B3 and qualify for the play-offs of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025. Their group stage matches ended with a 3-1 victory over Malta in Leiria.
Two Worlds Collide
Alma’s Bosnian roots and the life in Portugal collided in Group B3, when Bosnia & Herzegovina were due to play Portugal in Leiria in the latter’s opening home match. “I went to wait for the players and had the Bosnian flag and the Portuguese flag. I remember many were looking at me strangely when Melisa (Hasanbegovic) arrived and I asked her to sign for me, since most of the people were Portuguese.”
However, things quickly changed when she explained the link, “As soon as I explained that she is the one that plays for SC Braga, everyone was asking for her picture. This made me really happy because even though she was not Portuguese, people realised they knew her from Braga and wanted to show their support too. At that point it was not only about Bosnia & Portugal, but about her as a footballer.”
Portugal kicked off their campaign with a 3-0 win over Bosnia & Herzegovina. Despite the defeat, the Bosnian team acknowledged Alma’s roots and presented her with a national team shirt after the game. However, for Alma, there was a poignant factor that rose from being in the presence of the national team players, one that showed growth from the nation’s troubled past.
She welled up as she told me, “I was so happy, not because of the t-shirt, but because of what the Federation has been doing to bring everyone together. To see Croats, Orthodox & Muslim girls playing together with a passion to represent their country is so great to see, when you remember the Yugoslavia wars that existed before. I was proud of them all. Football really unites people.”
The Life Of A Football Fan
As commercial aspects of the game grow, it is sometimes easy to forget the true value that the game brings to society. However, such stories have a way of gravitating real meaning to the game.
Having seen the women’s game grow in Portugal, Alma explained her wish to see similar stadiums filled in her home country and others, “When Portugal went to play in Bosnia, the stadium was empty and I was so sad because these players deserve to be seen.”
It’s not about filling stadiums for the sake of it either. She explained how the domestic women’s league has thrown up great footballers for young children to emulate, “Today, I really enjoy seeing all these families and children coming to the matches. There is always a great atmosphere, and these players play beautiful football. They are great role models for young children. It’s important to support the team, so I go to all the matches. When they play away, I watch on the television.”
Our conversation ended as she explained the heartbreak of seeing Francisca ‘Kika’ Nazareth graduate from Benfica and now secure a move to Barcelona. It’s something known all too well in the life of a football fan, when you see a player rise, bring you so much joy and suddenly they are taken from you.
However, when Kika returns to don the shirt of Portugal, you can bet that Alma will be there to support the team from the stands. Whether the team wins or loses, it is people like her who complete the full circle of moments created in the people’s game.
The Sporting Fan would like to thank Alma for sharing her story and allowing it to be published. Rights to photos belong to Alma.
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