Fog postpones Nacional x Académico de Viseu, rescheduled for Sunday, 8 November

Fog halts the Saturday fixture

The 11th-round Primeira Liga match between CD Nacional and Académico de Viseu was due to start at 15:30 on Saturday, 7 November, at the Estádio da Choupana in Funchal. Dense fog over the ground stopped it. Referee Pedro Ramalho, of the Évora football association, waited the 30 minutes set out in the regulations for conditions to improve, but visibility stayed too poor for play to begin. The match was judged unplayable and postponed. Because Académico de Viseu had travelled to Madeira and faced a difficult return journey, the regulations required the game to be played within the following 30 hours, so it was rescheduled for Sunday, 8 November at 15:30 at the same ground. The fog also kept Marítimo from leaving Funchal for its planned trip to Estoril, and that match was cancelled.

The row over the new date

Rui Alves, the Nacional president, said his club had proposed moving the fixture to the weekend of the Taça de Portugal fourth round, 21 and 22 November, when both clubs are free after their cup exits. Académico de Viseu rejected that proposal. Speaking to Sport TV, Alves criticised the visiting club's stance.

“I think there was some lack of common sense in view of the forecasts. We all know that, but there are regulations in the league.”

Alves also argued that modern forecasting makes a repeat failure unlikely, so pressing ahead this weekend made little sense and a postponement to the cup weekend would be more coherent. He closed with a remark about the lack of dialogue.

“When common sense and balance prevail, solutions happen. When one of the parties does not seek that balance, there is no agreement.”

Officials of the Beira club were caught off guard by the comments. Académico de Viseu answered on social media that the new kick-off time had been fixed at a match organisation meeting.

“The new kick-off time for CD Nacional x Académico was agreed at the match organisation meeting, in total agreement with all parties involved, under Liga Portugal regulations.”

Rules and weather for the rescheduled match

Liga Portugal confirmed the new date in an official statement issued on Saturday. Only players who were registered under the regulations on the original date may be included in the match sheet, and tickets remain valid. The weather is still a factor on Madeira. The regional warning for rain, sometimes heavy and accompanied by thunder, is yellow until 18:00 on Saturday and then orange until 03:00 on Sunday. The Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) has a yellow wind warning that becomes orange between 18:00 and 00:00.

A long list of postponements at the Choupana

SAPO counted 20 postponed matches at the Choupana this century, including this one, starting with CD Nacional x Chaves in March 2001. The list shows postponements in most seasons since then, with three in 2015 and three in 2024.

Benfica had a match cancelled in October 2024, and a fog-affected match involving FC Porto was postponed in January 2025. Sporting has not had a postponed match in the past 25 years.