Nani reckons that Geneva is about to become a ‘little Lisbon’ tomorrow as the Portuguese kick off their Euro 2008 campaign.

Switzerland has a big Portuguese community and Manchester United’s Nani expects huge support in the opening game against Turkey.

“I think we’ll have a big advantage because we’re in Geneva,” he said. “We’re going to have the support of many Portuguese immigrants and that’s very important because it will almost be like playing at home.”

Portugal also play against the Czech Republic and co-hosts Switzerland in their group and Nani believes his team - with Cristiano Ronaldo in top form - can go far.

“Our group is very competitive,” Nani said. “Switzerland are dangerous because they play at home and Turkey and the Czech Republic because they have a high level in Europe. Getting through the group phase is our first objective and it will be tough.

“But we have a strong group of players. Portuguese football has evolved so much in the past few years. You can see many of our players are playing across Europe and being competitive in big leagues in England, Italy and Spain.

“It’s a great experience playing in England because the atmosphere at the matches is fantastic and the fans will always applaud and encourage you. You can learn a lot.”

The president of the Portuguese Football Federation Gilberto Madaíl described his side’s reception in Switzerland as "unforgettable" after thousands of fans came to greet the squad upon their arrival on Sunday.
Great reception
There are 174,000 Portuguese citizens in Switzerland, mostly in the French speaking part of the country, and they made their presence felt as Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side touched down. Many supporters waited for hours to see the players when they landed at Geneva airport in the afternoon after a two-hour flight from Lisbon and many more lined the streets waving their red-and-green flags as the team coach wound its way to Portugal’s training base in Neuchatel.
‘Beyond expectations’
Some 600 Portuguese followed the team bus by motorcycle to Neuchatel, where an estimated 10,000 fans were waiting to greet the the players. "We were sure the reception from the expatriate community would be great but this welcome was beyond all our expectations," Madaíl said. "What we saw was unforgettable. Now we should focus on working because there are many things we have to do to prepare the first match against Turkey." Portugal kick off their Group A campaign against Turkey in Geneva on Saturday.

For some time now, major cities in Switzerland have had wifi spots that give you free access to the Internet. So, on a fine day it’s pretty usual to see people sitting outside on a town bench, their laptops perched on their knees, checking their email and catching up on the latest news.

Yesterday, Monday, the City of Geneva announced a first. It’s equipped one of the main squares near to the University, the Place de Plainpalais, with wifi hotspots that are entirely solar powered.

This comes just in time for the Euro 2008 matches when Geneva is one of the eight places chosen to host the football competition.

The three access points have been fixed at a height of between eight and ten metres from ground level, to tall lamp posts around the square and are powered by solar panels.

It just remains to see whether the sun will also decide to play the game or whether the soccer fans will be left in the dark, obliged to choose another square.