Portuguese clubs to pay Eusebio respect

The death of Portugal's greatest footballer Eusebio will be marked at weekend games.

Portuguese football clubs will hold a minute's applause in memory of Eusebio before this weekend's games, while the legendary striker's former team Benfica will mark his death with a minute's silence.

The Portuguese league has also asked all players to wear black armbands during games following the death of the "Black Panther" at the age of 71 last Sunday.

Eusebio starred for Benfica in the 1960s, helping the Lisbon club become one of Europe's leading sides in a career which saw him score 733 goals in 745 matches.

Benfica will stage a minute of "total silence" at the request of Eusebio's family before facing bitter rivals Porto on Sunday in a meeting of two sides level on points with league leaders Sporting Lisbon.

Benfica president Luis Filipe Vieira indicated on Monday that Benfica would hold a whole year of mourning and said that the club's shirt for next season would feature an image of Eusebio.

The death of the Mozambique-born Eusebio was met with an outpouring of emotion in Portugal, with thousands of supporters gathering at Benfica's Estadio da Luz and draping a bronze statue of the player outside the stadium in scarves, flags and messages.

On Friday, the Portuguese parliament in Lisbon staged a minute's silence in his memory before deputies agreed to send out a collective message of condolence.

"Eusebio not only displayed incomparable sporting qualities, but also human qualities which made him a reference" for all Portuguese, the message read.


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Source: AAP


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