Supporters of S.L. Benfica

rdf:langString Supporters of S.L. Benfica

rdf:langString Diabos Vermelhos

rdf:langString Иo Иame Boys

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rdf:langString Benfiquistas at the Estádio da Luz

rdf:langString AdeptosVeryLight.jpg

rdf:langString Benfica Campeão 2005 2.jpg

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rdf:langString Sport Lisboa e Benfica is a Portuguese sports club based in Lisbon that was formed in Belém in 1904 by 24 football enthusiasts, including Cosme Damião. Benfica have been part of the Portuguese football top flight, Primeira Liga, since its inception in 1934. They have won 37 championships, 26 Taça de Portugal, 7 Taça da Liga, 8 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, 3 Campeonato de Portugal, 1 Latin Cup and 2 European Cups. The supporters of Benfica, who are called benfiquistas, have played an important part in the club's growth during its 118-year existence. One of those cases was in the early days of the construction of the original Estádio da Luz, when club president Joaquim Ferreira Bogalho asked them for free concrete to build the stadium. They responded by offering 900,000 tons. During the Portuguese Estado Novo, the Censorship Services prohibited newspapers from referring to the football team as Vermelhos (Reds) so it was not confused with communism, instead being referred as Encarnados (Flesh-coloured), which is still used, even after the transition to democracy. Benfica supporters can vary from regular ones, who do not possess any formal membership with the club, to sócios, club members, who are eligible to vote in the club's presidential elections and other matters. In addition, there are Benfica Houses (Casas do Benfica), which are fan clubs affiliated with the sócios and that have an eligible vote decided by the House leaders. In 2005, club president Luís Filipe Vieira implemented an aggressive membership campaign with the intent of reaching 300,000 members. From roughly 95,000 members in 2000, the club reached 160,000 in 2006 – a Guinness World record – only one year after the beginning of the campaign. After Benfica's scheduled renumbering of members in 2015, the number decreased from 247,859 to 156,916 members, with the club losing roughly 35% of its paying associates.