The entire village of Covilha is ecstatic about hosting their special guest, the Portugal National Team. Carlos Queiroz, his coaching staff and the FPF administration (led by Carlos Godinho) have left nothing to chance. The attention to details has been impeccable. This level of organization and commitment to perfection is meant to limit any potential surprises. Their mission is to create an environment that does not allow any excuses for failure.
Let me give you an inside tour of the steps taken to assure that all aspects of preparing Portugal for the World Cup have been taken.
We first arrive in Covilha to assess hotel facilities and field conditions back in March after our National Team friendly versus China. Then after our initial visit our coaching staff led by Carlos Queiroz and the administration staff arrived on May 12th, 2010 two days prior to the arrival of the Portuguese National Team players.
Each staff member carefully reviewed all they need to successfully execute their responsibilities related to their expertise at a first-class level. Careful inventory of facilities and all equipment is taken and a back-up plan is always in place. Logistics are carefully planned. There is no doubt when and where you should be. All staff is interrelated. One cannot function successfully without the other. You truly see the meaning of vertical integration that will provide a first-class experience by all those involved in the process. Everyone is obsessive in their task.
Carlos Queiroz and Carlos Godinho had a staff meeting to request feedback from all of us on any items that we need, or challenges that we may experience. Their goal was clear — Portugal had a very difficult qualification process. Yes, we should be pleased and proud that we are going to South Africa, but everyone now must give a little bit more of themselves. Always giving a little bit more. To succeed in South Africa, it’s not enough to just dream about a good World Cup. We must work hard at all aspects of our functions in order to compete. The message was clear and no doubt that the challenge posed will be accepted by all of us. We are consumed by the process.
We will be staying at two hotels: the Hotel Turismo da Covilha, 649 meters above sea level; and Hotel Serra Da Estrela, 1487 meters above sea level. It is very difficult to find this variation in altitude conditions in such a close proximity. We train in the valley and sleep in the mountains… sun in the valley and snow in the cold mountains when we arrived. It’s heating up now.
When you arrive in your room you have a beautiful hospitality basket waiting for you and a nice note from management stating, “It is our pleasure to welcome the entire National Team delegation. Our mission is to help in your success to the World Cup.” Players will be at one end and coaching staff on the other end. Administrators will be above and below the players and coaching staff. Security guards are placed at the entry points on the floors. Any time we move, the security guards communicate to each other in advance to let those involved with security know where we are at all times. Both hotels were completely scrutinized by the Portuguese National Police, including sniffing dogs for explosives. Blueprints of both hotels and fields were obtained. This gave a good visual of the field dimensions and hotel access points. All these measures are to protect the safety of the players and the confidentiality of the group. This creates an environment that gives the group comfort and peace.
The hotel in the valley was fully equipped by the Portuguese Football Federation with the latest in gym training equipment. The hotel in the mountains is primarily to live and rest, although we do have medical rooms set up.
Game rooms are offered to the players at each hotel. It’s great to see them away from the field and enjoy themselves with table soccer, ping pong, pool and video games. They still remain competitive regardless of the game they play. There is a third hotel which is a beautiful spa — fantastic for relaxation. We will visit that hotel on occasion for recovery purposes.
During our meals the players sit at one long table. The coaching, medical staff, and administrators sit at another long table. There is an established meal protocol; the staff and administrators will begin to eat only when everyone has arrived. When the players are done with their meal, they all stand up and leave at the same time. That is determined by the senior players.
We have two South Africans on our coaching staff that will make sure our transition from Portugal to South Africa is seamless. All the precautions that have been taken in Portugal will be implemented in South Africa as well. Having the South Africans with us assures that there will be no surprises awaiting us. They were here for our match versus China in March and were fully briefed on what the level of expectation is.
Also, in the room is a detailed training camp binder of our itinerary and plan for the 2010 World Cup preparation. The program takes us from Portugal to South Africa every step of the way. All daily events are outlined; the traveling delegation is highlighted with photos of each member, photos of all the hotels as well. The program indicates what training sessions are open or closed to the public and press.
We also have Nike gear inside our rooms. We have a little green basket where we leave our clothes after our training sessions and then it’s replaced with new gear daily.
There are sacred areas that only the coaching staff and administrators are allowed — soccer fields, locker room, bus and specific hotel areas. Anyone who wishes to enter our hotels must be approved by security. There are a number of fenced off areas where the public is allowed to take a peak or sneak an autograph from the heroes as they enter the bus or enter or exit the fields we train in. Essentially, the players are isolated. In every turn or twist you always are in the presence of security. Outside or inside, they are everywhere. No one is allowed near the team unless they have proper credentials. Either they have the official Portugal gear or have a badge that identifies them. You must remember that these players are national treasures. Both hotels are exclusive for the Portugal National Team.
Transportation to and from hotels and fields are with the official Portugal National Team bus as well as two shuttle buses. All travel is by police escort. As we travel to and from our destinations all intersections are controlled by police as they wait for us to drive by. The traffic is stopped to allow our bus to move with ease. The roads are tight and winding. The police who travels with us are responsible for taking a head count. During our travel it’s amazing the passion of the people as they wave Portuguese flags with excitement and cheer us on with encouragement.
Our first training session was open to the public and press. We had approximately three thousand fans attend plus an incredible number of press members. We have two soccer complexes at our disposal and all the training equipment that you may ever need to do your job. The soccer stadium up near the mountain is Estadio da Estrela and the other soccer stadium in down in the valley is named Complexo Desportivo Covilha. You request what you need for training equipment and they set it up for you on the pitch — including the official World Cup adidas ball!
Portuguese television is obsessive with soccer. You cannot watch any channel without soccer coverage every few minutes. The game of soccer is as important as the general news coverage or any popular show in the Portuguese culture. You get all the Portugal National Team details in real-time.
