Portuguese Ambassador to Japan Attends Urawa Reds Match at Saitama Stadium: A Connection Forged Through Portimonense, a Portuguese Football Team
In March, His Excellency Mr. Gilberto Jerónimo, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Portugal to Japan, visited Saitama Stadium at the invitation of Mrs. Reiko Shiga, Chairperson, and Mr. Tsukasa Shiga, President, of Ceremony Co., Ltd., a sponsor of Urawa Reds, and watched the Urawa Reds vs. Kashiwa Reysol match together.
Currently, as part of its corporate contributions, Ceremony Co., Ltd. has a main sponsorship agreement with Portimonense SC, a football club belonging to the Portuguese Primeira Liga, which was signed in 2018. This agreement was realized and reached because Ceremony Co., Ltd. agreed with Portimonense’s club philosophy of focusing on Japanese players, and furthermore, because the company wanted to contribute to the future development of Japanese football. Therefore, Portimonense SC has many Japanese players, including former Japanese national team players Shoya Nakajima and Shuichi Gonda.
Ceremony Co., Ltd. also sponsors Urawa Red Diamonds (Urawa Reds), and Robson Ponte, who played for Urawa Reds from 2005 to 2010, is currently Portimonense’s technical director. Even now, Portimonense SC players wear the “Ceremony” logo on their uniforms during matches.
Due to the deep connection with Portugal through Portimonense SC, Mr. Tsukasa Shiga was able to invite Ambassador Jerónimo, who assumed his post last year, to this match.
Ambassador Jerónimo, who arrived more than an hour before the match started, is a big football fan and was very much looking forward to this game. Upon arriving in the VIP room, Ambassador Jerónimo enjoyed taking commemorative photos with Urawa Reds players and staff.
Ambassador Jerónimo also shared childhood memories. He recalled enjoying watching football matches in Portugal with his older brother, who later became a veterinarian. He mentioned that the stadium wasn’t as grand as Saitama Stadium at the time, but it remains a cherished memory.
Amidst all this, Masayuki Okano, a legendary Japanese national team player unforgettable to many, appeared in the VIP room. Although it was only a short time before the match began, the ambassador seemed to enjoy meeting the legendary player who led Japan to the World Cup finals.
Urawa Reds played against Kashiwa Reysol that day, and Ambassador Jerónimo commented that he was impressed by the refreshing atmosphere of the stadium and the extremely positive playing style of both teams, all striving to score.
In the match that day, Urawa Reds took the lead with one goal, but Kashiwa Reysol later scored to tie the game, ultimately leading to a penalty shootout. While victory did not smile upon Urawa Reds, Ambassador Jerónimo was impressed by the passionate support of the Urawa Reds fans. He was particularly surprised to see the fans singing along to the march from Verdi’s opera “Aida” at the end of the first half, while waving their Reds flags.
The celebration of a Urawa Reds victory has been postponed until next time, but the bond forged with Portimonense SC is sure to grow even stronger.
