The Portuguese rugby team was honored this Thursday at the Belém Palace, in Lisbon, by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who thanked, on behalf of the Portuguese, the Wolves’ historic participation in the World Cup in France. .
“Give thanks for all the Portuguese who live in the whole world. We have more pride and joy than those who live here, because, for them, Portugal is a crystallization, a set of wonders even greater than the wonders that we are and only one that we “We have no wonder. For the Portuguese, I am not telling you that we are in France, it was more than a unique day in their lives,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa to the delegation led by the president of the Portuguese Federation of Râguebi (FPR), Carlos Amado de Silva.
In France, the Wolves achieved their first victory in a World Cup, beating the Fiji Islands by 24 to 23, in Toulouse, in the farewell of the competition, and the President of the Republic decided to praise them today, in the Sala das Bicas, in Belém, the “great achievement” of the athletes, which “made the Portuguese proud.”
“Afterwards, thank you also on behalf of Portuguese sport. Not only for what you did for us, for Portugal, for our pride, but for Portuguese sport in general and rugby in particular, and for the young people I saw in the Algarve. “Guys who are just starting out and for whom rugby appears as a possible passion option, and not football or athletics or another sport, such as volleyball or handball, in which we have been doing very well,” he highlighted.
Unlike most of the coaching staff and coaching staff who accompanied the 17 players to the Belém Palace, coach Patrice Lagisque, who is leaving his position, was present at the reception by video call and was also the subject of some words from him. ruler.
“We owe so much, because it is not only the players who are extraordinary. He is the leader and, now that he is part, due to family imposition, leaving us more alone, we will never fail or make us sad. He is exceptional,” he praised President.
The FPR was honored as an honorary member of public education, “for having given Portugal an unforgettable moment of self-esteem, self-love and pride in being Portuguese”, as highlighted by the President of the Republic, Carlos Amado da Silva, confessing ” “the pleasure and enormous honor” for being in Belém.
“Being here today is historic. It is a recognition of an exceptional job, carried out by a group of young people, some less young, talented, amateurs, led superiorly by Patrice Lagisque. A coach that I chose for this task, that few believed, but I “I was sure we could achieve it and that makes us feel very honored,” said the leader.
In addition to revealing that he received “a lot of praise from colleagues from other federations, no doubt more powerful”, and thanking the President of the Republic for his vote of confidence, Carlos Amado Silva also said that the wolves “made a lot of money” and “foram profissionais during three months”.
“They left their jobs to be with us for three and a half months. In three and a half months we went from an average team to a top-level team,” highlighted the federation president, asking Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa for support for the sport. to have material conditions and a stadium.
In France, Portugal registered, in addition to its first victory in a World Cup, against the Fiji Islands, its first draw, against Georgia (18-18), after having lost to Wales (8-28) and Australia (14-34) , before finished fourth in Group C, which qualified Wales and Fiji for the ‘fourth’.
Source: TSF
