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.