Clube
Desportivo Nacional, founded in 1910, is a Portuguese football
club, that plays in Funchal, Madeira Islands. It is commonly known
as Nacional da Madeira. Nacional shares a rivalry with fellow
Madeira club C.S. Marítimo.
History
The Madeira derby is often associated with the clubs' followers'
differing culture and way of life. The fans of Nacional, being
of a higher socio-economic status than those of Marítimo,
were mainly lobbyists for the commercial expansion of Madeira,
but the working class Marítimo followers were keen to preserve
Madeira. This only exacerbated the ill-feeling between the clubs.
The rivalry heightened when Portuguese starlet Cristiano Ronaldo
declined an offer from Marítimo in favour of CD Nacional,
where his godfather was a member of the board.
Politics
plays a part in the Madeira and Azores derby because Madeira's
controversial regional governor Alberto João Jardim is
a self-confessed C.S. Marítimo supporter. He doesn't have
a good relationship with Carlos César, the regional governor
of the Azores and avowed C.D. Santa Clara fan.
The
club are also undergoing a project for a new stadium with a new
40,000 all-seated stadium in the Praia Formosa district in Funchal
that will be shared with their arch-rivals C.S. Marítimo.
It should be completed in time for the 2008-09 season.
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