Football is one of the world’s most popular sports with millions of fans supporting the industry and their favourite teams every year. So much so, there are some fans who even check the Pro Kabaddi Stats regularly to see how well their favourite teams are doing on the betting scene. Some even bet on their favourite teams because they have so much faith in them. Seasoned bettors, however, would probably know that betting on their favourite team is not going to get them profits all the time. It’s perfectly natural to support a particular team, but put money on another team that might have a better chance at winning. Most regular bettors usually follow a soccer betting system that depends on a lot of factors related to gameplay. However, I would like to have a discussion about a topic/issue that I have come across recently on Twitter. Is it ok to cheer for a rival team, from the same country, during a European club competition? For those who don’t know, I am a Sporting Lisbon supporter, one of two major soccer teams in Lisbon, Portugal. I have always supported other Portuguese teams when they compete in the Champions League or Europa League action, even though they are “rivals” Why you ask? A couple of reasons:

  • National pride in our league. The Portuguese league isn’t exactly La Liga or the English Premier League. We are historically known for 3 teams. We are not one of the better-paying leagues, so it is nice to see one of ours take down a bigger club. It’s not like I want Benfica or FC Porto to win the title, but do well in Europe? Yes. Sadly, betting sites such as sboth have not predicted a Portuguese winner of the Champions League becoming a reality again for quite some time.
  • League standings in Europe. Where a league is ranked determines how many clubs represent that country in the Champions League and Europa League. This is determined over a 5 year period. For every win, tie, points are awarded. The farther a team progresses the more bonus points are added. Wikipedia UEFA coefficient for more detailed information.
  • Prize money! Champions league offers the biggest prize money compared to the Europa League. Not often Portugal can have 3 teams in the group phase in the same season. But even the Europa league can offer a good opportunity for the smaller teams to attract better quality players than if they weren’t in it. It also offers them a chance to make some money. Fans can also make good money off games in the Premier and Champions Leagues by using sports betting services online such as mobile betting uk, Mobile Wins Casino.

In recent weeks fans from a certain Lisbon based team told me I’m a bad fan for supporting our rival teams in Europe. But I always believed that we should support teams from our country when it comes to European club competitions.

What do you think? What is your opinion on this?