Why do coaches in the Portuguese league wear a sash?

Every league has its own rules when it comes to aesthetic, measures taken most of the time to standardize as much possible the public image so that it can be immediately recognizable from who watch games from abroad. The most common one is the unique font for all the teams but in Portugal there’s a peculiar rule that is unparalleled in Europe or in any other league in the world, an aesthetic solution that has the same effect allowing people to immediately understand that the game we’re watching is played in Portugal. It concerns the coaches. You might have noticed that during the Portuguese league’s games all the coaches wear an armband, usually at the wrist and sometimes on their forearms. That’s no quirk, it’s a regulatory obligation. The Portuguese football federation mandates that all individuals on the bench, except for players, must wear an armband indicating their specific role. So that’s the reason why coaches must wear an armband that says “treinador “, which means coach in Portuguese.

Porto and Benfica' choices

There are no exceptions. Whoever does not comply with the law will be punished with fines. When it comes to rules of aesthetics, some people simply follow them without much concern for style, while others see it as an opportunity to create a unique brand image. Porto, for instance, have always opted for a classic item with the official colors of the club, a blue and white armband that only recently saw some adjustments, more specifically the name of the coach, Sergio Conceicao, in the middle of it right just above the treinador definition. Benfica too opted for a classic solution but with a soft touch of modernity. In this specific case we can find a regular armband with two red stripes interspersed by a bigger white stripe on which appears the term treinador in cubital letters. This is where you can find the freshness, as the club used the Announcement Board JNL’s font.

Sporting Lisbon Style

Probably the only club that really tried and keeps on trying to create a more sophisticated solution is Sporting Clube de Portugal. The club is known all over the world for their iconic white and green horizontal striped jersey: starting form this assumption, the club has tried to reproduce the style of their jerseys with the coaches’ armbands creating an immediately recognizable element. The result is a classy dark green band with three tiny white horizontal stripes on it. The term treinador almost goes unnoticed as another element is left in the foreground: the club’s logo. This product seamlessly merges the club's past, the finesse of its jerseys, and the league's heritage, while adhering to all regulations. Eventually, even a rule can become a new style element to further characterize everyone involved during a football game.