The 2017 Cape Verdean Football Championship season was the 38th beginner level (likely amateur) competition of the first-tier football in Cape Verde. It started on 13 May and finished on 27 August, it started a days later than last season. Originally to finish on 15 July, instead, it was rescheduled to 27 August. The championship was governed by the Cape Verdean Football Federation.
Sporting Praia won their 10th and recent national championship title, also it was the club's next in five years. Sporting Praia did not participate in the CAF Champions League competition in 2018, Not even runner up Ultramarina Tarrafal participates in the 2017 CAF Confederation Cup, both of the clubs due to financial concerns, of any club, it is the eighth consecutive time and becomes the recent African nation not to bring a champion to the continentals for the most consecutive years, in the cup competition, Cape Verde is the longest for not bringing a club in Africa lasting for more than 15 years straight, not even the three national cup winners competed. Sporting Praia participated into the 2018 National Championships as champion of the 2017 season.
Overview The triangular phase started to be used for the 2017 season, it became the fourth time and first with four clubs each and with playoffs.
CS Mindelense was once more the defending team of the title. A total of 12 clubs participated in the competition, one from each island league and one who won the last season's title. The top club from each group qualified for the first time as well as the club with the most points of a second position of each group qualified into the semis for the first time.
Sporting Praia defeated Académica Porto Novo in the semis in its two legs, Sporting Praia won the first and the second one was scoreless, on the other Ultramarina defeated Mindelense 2-0 and qualified into the finals without the first leg played.
Six clubs returned again, on the other only AJAC da Calheta de São Miguel was the only first timer in the national championships.
No huge wins dominated a match this season, the highest result was no more than three goals which was a few matches, one of them the Sporting Praia-Ultramarina Tarrafal (São Nicolau) match which Sporting won 3-2. Académica Porto Novo scored the most goals in the regular season numbering 12. Overall Ultramarina Tarrafal (São Nicolau) scored the most goals totaling 16, followed by Sporting Praia with 15.
Delays One match, between a Santiago North participant and Vulcânicos was delayed as the regional association deducted three points on May 11 where AJAC thought they fielded an ineligible player Marco Aurélio in a match with Juventus Assomada on April 1, they took it to court and on May 17, the FCF kept the result 2-4 and AJAC qualified into the national championships for the first time. The first round match was rescheduled to May 31.
Another delay occurred in July and was the next such delay in nine years (see 2008 Cape Verdean Football Championships). The stadium access to Estádio Orlando Rodrigues was locked as the stadium did not have extra keys for the first leg due to an unknown reason. A week later, Mindelense was unofficially awarded 3-0 and the club was still no entrant into the finals. Ultramarina appealed to the problems with their entry into the stadium. It caused the next delay of the national championship finals competition in nine years (but not overall). The first leg was rescheduled, Mindelense did not show up for unknown reasons and Mindelense-Ultramarina Tarrafal club strength was probably 50/50, it wasn't held into August and after August 13, Mindelense was indeed disqualified and its second leg result was annulled, but several kept it as stood. As Mindelense lost 0-2 in the second leg and the first leg unheld. Mindelense was out of the competition and overall was fourth behind Académica Porto Novo.
Finals The finals featured Ultramarina and Sporting Praia, Ultramarina was the next appearance from São Nicolau in five years to appear in the finals after Atlético Ribeira Brava and the only one from the island who appeared twice. Sporting Praia regained their failed national title successes, Sporting won all two legs in Tarrafal de São Nicolau and the national capital Praia and went to claimed their 10th and recent title, also it was their next from Santiago South as well as the Santiago Island and Sotavento to win a title along with the national capital Praia.
Participating clubs
CS Mindelense, winner of the 2016 Cape Verdean Football Championships Sport Sal Rei Club, winner of the Boa Vista Island League Sporting Clube da Brava, winner of the Brava Island League Vulcânicos, winner of the Fogo Premier Division Onze Unidos, winner of the Maio Premier Division Académico do Aeroporto, winner of the Sal Premier Division AJAC da Calheta, winner of the Santiago North Premier Division Sporting Clube da Praia, winner of the Santiago South Premier Division Paulense DC, winner of the Santo Antão North Premier Division Académica do Porto Novo, winner of the Santo Antão Island League (South) FC Ultramarina, winner of the São Nicolau Island League FC Derby, runner up of the São Vicente Premier Division
Information about the clubs Club Location VenueCapacityOnze UnidosCidade do Maio20 de Janeiro4,000Porto NovoPorto Novo8,000Académico do AeroportoEspargosMarcelo Leitão8,000AJAC da CalhetaCalheta de São Miguelalso serves São Miguel MunicipalityEstádio da Calheta1,000MindeloAdérito Sena5,000MindelenseMindeloAdérito Sena5,000Paulense Desportivo ClubePaúlJoão Serra2,000Sal ReiArsénio Ramos500Sporting Clube da BravaNova Sintraalso serves Brava IslandAquiles de Oliveira500Sporting Clube da PraiaPraiaVárzea12,000Tarrafal de São NicolauOrlando Rodrigues5,000VulcânicosSão Filipe5 de Julho1,000
League standings Group A PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPts1FC Ultramarina6411116+5132Onze Unidos632195+3113AJAC da Calheta6123711-454Vulcânicos6114711-44
Group B PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPts1CS Mindelense (C)641183+5132Académica do Porto Novo6321127+5113Académico do Aeroporto6123610-454Paulense DC6033410-63
Group C PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPts1Sporting Clube da Praia642081+7142FC Derby631194+5103Sporting Clube da Brava631265+1104Sport Sal Rei Club6006111-100
Best second placed club The second placed club with the most points (sometimes goals and matches if equal) qualified into the knockout stage. PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPts1Académica do Porto Novo6321127+5112Onze Unidos632195+3113FC Derby631275+210
Results Week 1HomeScoreVisitorVenueDateTimeOnze Unidos2 - 1Ultramarina20 de Janeiro13 May16:00AJAC da Calheta2 - 3VulcânicosCalheta31 May16:00Paulense0 - 1MindelenseJoão Serra14 May16:00Académica Porto Novo1 - 1Académico AeroportoPorto Novo13 May16:00Derby0 - 1Sporting PraiaAdérito Sena13 May16:00Sal Rei0 - 1Sporting BravaArsénio Ramos13 May16:00 Week 2HomeScoreVisitorVenueDateTimeUltramarina2 - 0AJAC da CalhetaOrlando Rodrigues20 May16:00Vulcânicos0 - 1Onze Unidos5 de Julho20 May16:00Mindelense2 - 1Académica Porto NovoAdérito Sena20 May16:00Académico Aeroporto1 - 1PaulenseMarcelo Leitão20 May17:00Sporting Praia3 - 0Sal ReiVárzea20 May16:00Sporting Brava2 - 1DerbyAquiles de Oliveira21 May16:00 Week 3HomeScoreVisitorVenueDateTimeOnze Unidos1 - 1AJAC da Calheta20 de Janeiro27 May16:00Ultramarina2 - 2VulcânicosOrlando Rodrigues27 May16:00Paulense2 - 2Académica Porto NovoJoão Serra27 May16:00Mindelense2 - 0Académico AeroportoAdérito Sena27 May16:00Derby1 - 0Sal ReiAdérito Sena28 May16:00Sporting Praia1 - 0Sporting BravaVárzea27 May16:00 Week 4HomeScoreVisitorVenueDateTimeUltramarina2 - 1Onze UnidosOrlando Rodrigues4 June16:00Vulcânicos1 - 2AJAC da Calheta5 de Julho4 June16:00Mindelense0 - 0PaulenseAdérito Sena3 June16:00Académico Aeroporto1 - 3Académica Porto NovoPorto Novo3 June16:00Sporting Praia1 - 1DerbyVárzea3 June16:00Sporting Brava2 - 1Sal ReiAquiles de Oliveira4 June16:00 Week 5HomeScoreVisitorVenueDateTimeAJAC da Calheta0 - 2UltramarinaCalheta11 June16:00Onze Unidos2 - 0Vulcânicos20 de Janeiro11 June16:00Académica Porto Novo2 - 1MindelensePorto Novo11 June16:00Paulense1 - 3Académico AeroportoJoão Serra11 June16:00Sal Rei0 - 2Sporting PraiaArsénio Ramos11 June16:00Derby2 - 1Sporting BravaAdérito Sena11 June16:00 Week 6HomeScoreVisitorVenueDateTimeAJAC da Calheta2 - 2Onze UnidosCalheta18 June16:00Vulcânicos1 - 2Ultramarina5 de Julho18 June16:00Académica Porto Novo3 - 0PaulensePorto Novo18 June16:00Académico Aeroporto0 - 2MindelenseMarcelo Leitão18 June16:00Sal Rei0 - 2DerbyArsénio Ramos18 June16:00Sporting Brava0 - 0Sporting PraiaAquiles de Oliveira18 June16:00
Final stages
Semi-finals
Finals
Cape Verdean Football 2017ChampionsSporting Clube da Praia10th title
Statistics Highest scoring match: several with 3 goals
See also 2016–17 in Cape Verdean football
Notes
References
External links
2017 Cape Verdean Football Championships at RSSSF