PORTO, Aug 21 (SI) - The office of Portugal's prime minister, Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, on Tuesday dismissed as speculation a newspaper report that claimed the government was considering cutting spending on the preparations for Euro 2004.
Portugal is building or renovating 10 stadia for the tournament at a projected cost of €550m (£352m), with the government committed to contributing 25% of the funding. The business newspaper Diario Economico had reported that finance minister Manuela Ferreira Leite and defence minister Paulo Portas had called for work on three of the 10 stadia to be cancelled because of the country's large budget deficit.
A spokeswoman for the prime minister described the report as "pure speculation" and said the government would carry out its commitments. Portuguese Federation (FPF) president Gilberto Madail, who was due to have a meeting with the prime minister yesterday, was quoted in the Diario Economico on Monday as saying that the government needed to guarantee loans for clubs building or renovating their stadia, as the current system of subsidised credit was "positive, but not enough".
According to the newspaper Publico, Valentim Lourneco, the head of the Portuguese League, will ask the government to increase its share of the cost of stadium work above the current level of 25%.
Notes
António Violante was officially named Agostinho Oliveira's assistant. Rui Caçador will be the Under 21 caretaker and Carlos Dinis will be his assistant as well. The roles are flexible and can change if it is needed...
The squad for the England match will be announced on Thursday, August 29th...
Vitor Baia has rejected all rumours that he's about to retire for the international game. In fact, he feels like a kid again and he's ready to compete for the starters job both at Porto and at the international level...
Seats to Villa Park are on sale for Portuguese fans wanting to take in the match and those interested showed contact the FPF directly. Tickets are 51 Euros and 35 Euros respectively.