João Paulo Rebelo has been more than the Secretary of State for Sport of Portugal the last months. Given the emergency of the coronavirus and the dedication of your Government in the fight against the pandemic, Rebelo also worked as coordinator of the fight against COVID-19 in Lisbon and the central region of the country and helped in the work that made Portugal one of the world references in the fight against the disease. What Rebelo could not imagine is that his temporary job in the health area would give his Secretariat a prize: the right to organize the final phase of the Champions League. Rebelo received AS in Lisbon. And he spoke of the pride that he feels these days in his country.
How are you living these days before the final phase of the Champions League in Lisbon?
Very eager and happy with the opportunity to host a historic championship. Of course, there is no great atmosphere in the streets as is normally expected. But the world is experiencing a different moment and it will be a different tournament. Although we do not have fans, Lisbon already lives this emotion intensely in his soul. I am convinced that it will be a great success.
When a city applies to host a Champions League final, there is a whole economic interest behind it, with fans traveling to cheer on their teams. Something that this year will not happen …
The big difference will not be the fact that there will be no public and yes that this final phase of the Champions League will be, without a doubt, the most important sporting event in the world in 2020. The one that will have the largest audience, the greatest interest around the planet. That means that the image of Portugal, the Portugal Brand, will be in a showcase … and not just in the final. For almost two weeks, Lisbon and Portugal will be around the world. This type of exhibition is unprecedented for the prestige and image of the country.
You will be proud, right?
It is a very great pride for all Portuguese. We are all happy, especially because of this feeling of duty accomplished. We have worked a lot. We did our best and the end result is this. The whole country should be proud. We will also receive a Formula 1 Grand Prix in October and the last of the MotoGP World Championship. It is a recognition of the behavior of all the Portuguese, who continue to do our work in the fight against the pandemic.
How do you explain this success in this fight against the pandemic?
We have taken the necessary steps where appropriate. The attitude of the population was essential because they understood the seriousness of the situation and had exemplary behavior from the beginning. Thanks to all this, we have happily achieved positive results, since the epidemic activity is relatively low and controlled.
The Portuguese Secretary of State for Sports, João Paulo Rebelo, receives Diario AS in Lisbon.
DAILY AS
After confinement, what is the great challenge today?
Avoid new infections as much as possible, protecting especially the most vulnerable. The most important message to the population is that the virus does not walk alone. Each of us has to be a health agent who works in the fight against the pandemic in our daily lives. If we are not responsible for our attitudes, it does not matter if laws or protocols are written.
Are you worried about the positives of Atlético de Madrid?
The Portuguese remain very committed in the fight against the pandemic. Mainly very compliant with the protocols in our daily routine. Obviously we look with concern at these positive cases of Atlético players, but we fully trust UEFA's protocol, which is very rigorous in cases like this. We trust in the work that is being done to guarantee the safety of the players and the population.
Cristiano Ronaldo's elimination of Juventus will have been a great disappointment …
It was a very big sadness mainly seeing the effort that Cristiano made, scoring two goals. For the Portuguese it would have been spectacular to see Cristiano play here in Lisbon. But we are happy for Anthony Lopes (Lyon goalkeeper) who is another classified Portuguese.
Without Cristiano, now it's time to encourage João Félix …
Cristiano is an icon, the captain of the national team, the greatest of all. But we will also have Semedo, Bernardo Silva, João Cancelo, for example. Now João Félix perhaps represents the future, he was the protagonist of a historical transfer and much is expected of him around here.
And the next steps for sport in Portugal?
We want the fans to return to the stadiums and we are working for that. I think we are going to make it at the beginning of next season. We really want that to be possible. What we are doing now is finding a balance between what is wanted and what the health authorities recommend. The league wants 50% of the stadium capacity, but we still don't know if this number is realistic. We have several plans on the table and we will decide together with the health authorities what best suits the new reality that we live in.