Supporters of S.L. Benfica
| Diabos Vermelhos | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Established | 16 November 1982 |
| Type | Supporters' group |
| Motto | Connosco Quem Quiser, Contra Nós Quem Puder |
| Colours | |
| Иo Иame Boys | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Established | 4 March 1992 |
| Type | Supporters' group |
| Motto | SEMPRE PRESEИTES |
| Colours | |
S.L. Benfica is a Portuguese sports club based in Lisbon, formed in 1904 in Belém by a group of former Casa Pia students and members of Associação do Bem led by Cosme Damião. It has been part of the Portuguese football top-flight, Primeira Liga, since the league's inception in 1934. Most notably, they have won the Primeira Liga 36 times, 28 Taça de Portugal and 2 European Cups.
The supporters of Benfica, who are called Benfiquistas, have played an important part in the growth of the club, during the club's 113-year existence. One of those cases was in the early days of the construction of the original Estádio da Luz when club president, Ferreira Bogalho, asked them for free concrete to build the stadium. They responded by offering 900,000 tons. During the Estado Novo, the Censorship Services, prohibited the fans from referring to the football team as Vermelhos (Reds) so it was not confused with communism, instead being referred as Encarnados (Flesh-coloured), which is still used, even after the transition to democracy.
There are three different types of supporters: one is the sócio or club member, who is eligible to vote in the presidential election of the club and other matters; The Houses (As Casas), which are closely affiliated with the sócios, are fan-clubs which have an eligible vote decided by the House leaders; and the ordinary fans of the club, who do not possess any formal membership.
Since 2005 club president, Luís Filipe Vieira, implemented an aggressive membership campaign with the intent of reaching 300,000 members. From roughly 95,000 members in 2000, the club reached 160,000 in 2006, a Guinness World record, only one year after the beginning of the campaign. In the scheduled renumbering of 2015, Benfica dropped from 247,859 to 156,916 members, losing roughly 35% of their paying associates.
...
Wikipedia