The Second "F"

Portuguese history has been marked by dizzying highs and devastating lows. The most prominent example of the former is the Golden Age (in Portuguese, "Seculo de Ouro"/"Golden Century"). Among the latter are natural disasters, foreign invasions and a 20th-century domestic one, also known as "the longest dictatorship in Europe". 

Dictators always pretend to have their country's and nation's best interest at heart, while all they really care about is power and personal wealth. They might promote the country by creating slogans that include phrases like "above all" or "great again" - yet, they offer the same degree of "fairness" to every nation, because they equally despise all of them! When Portuguese dictator Antonio de Oliveira Salazar famously said: "All this nation needs is "3 Fs", he was expressing his contempt. Somewhat surprisingly, fair evaluations occasionally come from foul sources, and the "F"s in question do play a major part in defining the nation's spiritual identity. The first "F" stands for "Fatima" - a personification of piety, devotion and ideal womanhood, and the most powerful symbol of Catholic Faith in Portugal. The second "F" refers to "football".

The elegant trophy on the cover picture is by far the most important exhibit in a museum created by the "FC Porto". The first half of the abbreviation is pretty straightforward: football - traditionally referred to as "soccer" in North America - is widely known as "the global game". Many countries have their favourite sport, and many sports are popular in multiple countries - yet, football is the only game that is practiced literally everywhere, because it requires next to no equipment. No baskets, nets, pucks, stones or sticks. No specialized arenas. Essentially, nothing but the human body (and a ball that can be - and has often been - made of something as simple as a motley collection of rags). For similar socioeconomic reasons, football is the king of all sports in warmer/southern countries where the weather is conducive to staying outdoors almost all year round - and in much smaller or poorer countries where the game is often the country's only chance to break through and feel good about itself. For countless millions around the world, supporting their national team and celebrating its successes is a magic source of purest joy. However, national teams don't play that often - and that's where the "C"-half of the abbreviation comes into the picture.

The word "club", in conjunction with "football" (or any other sport), is somewhat misleading. While the definition of "club" - "an association or organization dedicated to a particular interest or activity" - doesn't assert the amateur nature of the concept, it strongly implies it. Similar to book - or photography clubs, a football club would be a place where friends come on weekends to play the game for fun. Even in case of strictly organized regular competitions, such clubs would still represent something - a neighbourhood, a profession, a social stratum - as it actually was before the "global village" was established, and moneybags turned pure fun into big business. That resulted in a multitude of revolving-door organizations where players, coaches and even CEOs came from everywhere, went elsewhere - and represented nobody but themselves loosely associated with a particular workplace for a relatively short period of time. In other words, what used to be clubs, became (depending on the size) firms or corporations. That created an irresoluble contradiction because sports are, first and foremost, about passion - and corporations are anything but. Estadio do Dragao in Porto where the above-mentioned museum is located, is a perfect case in point illustrating a desperate attempt to reconcile the incompatible opposites.

As a corporation, FC Porto has to ensure profits by selling everything that can and cannot be sold - objects, experiences, illusions. Some of the products, such as games and stadium tours tickets,

are useful and even inspiring; others are harmless trinkets

However, there is also a category of both objects and experiences that is ethically questionable because it creates a particular kind of impostors - people wearing jerseys with names that aren't their own, or posing with trophies they never won, and have no business to be associated with

To make people want to buy, the club/corporation needed to create and maintain a fan base - and that meant creating and maintaining passion. The most obvious way to do so is achieving and celebrating success, and that's what much of the museum exhibition is about. The Champions League winning goal scored 39 years ago is still being replayed day in and day out - for the endless stream of newcomers to see, get caught in the spirit of the occasion, and proceed straight to the celebrations on a life-size replica of the 1987 team bus

where players and officials occupy the same seats as they did during the actual champions parade

or stand on the roof of the bus to greet their euphoric supporters

The second iteration of the same trophy that came 17 years later is represented by a team poster 

and the trophy-kissing coach, to boot

Since celebration scenes are emotionally charged, they are an easy go to for anyone trying to build connections. Unsurprisingly, there are many success-related exhibits in the museum but there are also a few that dig even deeper. The most striking of them are also the least conspicuous ones - and they tell the ur-story of the FC Porto in just a few sentences