Does Scolari’s Move Damage Portugal’s Euro 2008 Chances?

Portugal have been in the papers a lot lately, and not necessarily for what they’re doing on the field.

There’s the constant – and I mean constant – speculation around Cristiano Ronaldo’s future. Latest rumours have Real Madrid offering to stuff £300,000 a week in his pockets. There’s also Deco knowing that every good performance at Euro 2008 increases his price tag and makes a move away from Barcelona that little bit harder.

Then there’s Luis Felipe Scolars recent admission that he took the Chelsea job because Portugal couldn’t get the money together to keep him on. Basically they couldn’t afford him.

Quite a comparison with Croatia’s Slaven Bilic, who’s doing the job for minimum wage. And quite a comparison to Scolari’s approach to Euro 2004 where he flat out refused to negotiate with the English FA because he was focused on the tournament.

So a superstar surrounded by speculation (which he hasn’t done all that much to quell) and a manager who’s announced mid-tournament that he’s leaving for a better paid job. Not ideal conditions for winning Euro 2008, you’d think.

It’s going to be fascinating to see whether all the speculation and breaking stories knocking about the Portugal camp will have any affect on the team’s performance. So far, so good. Portugal have coasted through their first two group games with two wins, first place in Group A and a spot in the quarterfinals.

But tonight’s game against Switzerland is the first since Scolari’s announcement. Will be interesting to see how well they play. And should Portugal go out at some point in the knockout round, we’ll be left to wonder whether having your star player and manager in the middle of big moves was the best way to approach a major international football tournament.