Seven months on, Portugal struggles with low attendance: A few months ago, stadiums across Portugal were packed for the European Soccer Championship. These days, the seats are mostly empty. [...]
Today, some of the venues look like white elephants. The legacy of the biggest sports event ever staged in Portugal is under threat, with sparse attendance stretching the finances of Portuguese clubs.
"Portuguese soccer is living on the edge," said Vasco Pinto Leite, director-general of club side Leiria. "Our new stadium is fantastic, but we're having trouble getting fans through the gates." [...]
No Portuguese club featured in last year's Rich List of the wealthiest 20 European clubs.
While the English Premier League generated revenue of ?1.74 billion (US$2.3 billion) in 2002-03, the Portuguese championship raised just ?198.4 million (US$260 million), placing it ahead of only Scotland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden in European soccer's financial list.
