Portugal must soon strike gold

The news yesterday that Fernando Couto had been handed an indefinite ban by FIFA was another in a succession of blows to Portuguese hopes that the team they built around the players of the "golden generation" might finally fulfil their immense potential.

Couto is one of the "golden generation", slightly older than the likes of Figo, Rui and Jorge Costa, Rui Bento and Joao Pinto - all of whom came through the ranks together a couple of years later - but the Lazio defender is a member of the squad that so dramatically heralded Portugal's emergence as a power of the underage game by winning the World Youth Championships in Saudi Arabia in 1989.

That same summer, the Portuguese under-17s came third at the World Championships in Scotland and two years later it was this panel that successfully retained the Youths title on home territory. They beat Ireland 2-0 in their opening game in '91, a team sprinkled with international stars of the future.

Even then they were known for their attacking flair, but, for all that, the only goal they conceded was in the quarter-final defeat of Mexico and, on June 30th in front of 120,000 people at the Stadium of Light, Rui Costa scored the decisive penalty of a shoot-out against Brazil that gave them the title.

"What we're seeing now," says Republic of Ireland Youths manager Brian Kerr, "is them getting the rewards they deserve for the work they started to do back then.

"Their association is very professional in the way that they approach the development of young players but I think that the most important thing they have going for them is that the whole culture within the game there is very professional."

The resources available to the game there, says Kerr, far outstrips anything that the FAI or its clubs have had access to in this country, but he has developed strong links with his opposite numbers.

In fact, the relationship between the two associations has blossomed since Portugal's European Championship game here in April 1995.

Having been pleased with the way they were treated here, they returned in order to prepare for the Euro '96 finals where they reached the quarter-finals before suffering a somewhat surprising defeat at the hands of the Czech Republic.

The manner in which they won their qualifying group for those championships, particularly the rout of the Republic on that rainy night in Lisbon, and their subsequent achievement of reaching the last eight in England was the first sign the Figo generation had come of age.

Hopes were raised dramatically as they kicked off their campaign to qualify for the World Cup two years later, but, after their coach Antonio Oliveira departed, the side struggled, failing to beat Germany at home or away, losing to the Ukraine in Kiev and drawing away to Northern Ireland and Armenia. They failed even to make the play-offs.

A key problem during that campaign had been a sudden lack of goals but they began to flow again when Humberto Coelho took charge of the Euro 2000 qualification drive.

To the now established stars from '89 and '91 were added a number of younger players from subsequent youth sides including the relatively unknown Benfica striker Nuno Gomes.

Gomes' four goals in Belgium and Holland not only helped his side to the semi-finals of the tournament but also earned him a move to Fiorentina.

The 392 minutes Portugal went without conceding a goal,

from Steve McManaman's for England in their opening game until Thierry Henry's for the French in the semi-final, is a record for any European finals.

With Oliveira back in charge and so many of their leading players at their peak there is again considerable optimism that this squad is capable of winning a major championship.

After next summer they will, realistically, have just one more shot at glory before having to replace their stars of the "golden generation".

In 2006, when Figo is 33, the European Championships will be held in Portugal.

Fifteen years after their original Lisbon triumph he and his team-mates will have a final opportunity to top the triumph of the youth.