Clube de Futebol União, commonly known as União da Madeira, was a Portuguese football club based in Funchal, Madeira, notable for its six seasons in the Portuguese top-flight Primeira Liga, between the 1989–90 and 1991–92 seasons, the 1993–94 and 1994–95 seasons and most recently in the 2015–16 season.
The club was originally founded on 1 November 1913, thus being one of the oldest football clubs in Portugal, and maintained a strong local rivalry with neighbours Marítimo and Nacional da Madeira throughout much of its history. After building mounting debts, and failing to fulfil consecutive matches leading to disqualification from competing in the Campeonato de Portugal – the country's fourth-tier league – União da Madeira were forcibly dissolved on 23 November 2021.
As a sports club, União da Madeira had sports departments for Basketball, Fencing, Football, handball, Roller Hockey, Rugby and Volleyball. The professional football team were notably sponsored by the Museu CR7, the local museum dedicated to Cristiano Ronaldo, who was born in Funchal.
A new phoenix club, União da Bola Futebol Clube was founded in 2022, with the aim of "honouring the legacy" of the demised club. The club entered a senior football team into the 1ª Divisão of the Madeira Football Association.
History The club was founded on 1 November 1913 initially as União Futebol Clube by, among others, César da Silva, João Fernandes Rosa, Alexandre Vasconcelos, José Anastácio do Nascimento and José Fernandes. The founding members shortly after its establishment decided to change the club's name to Clube de Futebol União in 1916.
Shortly after Ângelo Olim Marote was appointed as the very first chairman of the club. A few years later the club was a founding member of the Madeira Football Association which it is still a part of today as well as competing in its annual AF Madeira Cup.
União won the third-tier championship in 2010–11, thereby returning to the professional leagues after seven years away. In 2014–15, managed by promotion specialist Vítor Oliveira, the club came runners-up in Segunda Liga behind C.D. Tondela and reached the Primeira Liga for the first time in two decades.
The club's spell in the top flight lasted only one season, and União were relegated in 2016. Two years later, they fell into the third tier again, with two games left to play of the season. In 2020–21, the club and fellow Madeirans A.D. Camacha and CSD Câmara de Lobos withdrew at the halfway point due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, but were not relegated. União da Madeira were forcibly dissolved and the club officially closed on 23 November 2021.
Stadium
União's most recent home ground was the Campo do Adelino Rodrigues. The club led a nomadic existence since leaving the Estádio dos Barreiros in 2008 when the stadium was purchased by joint tenants and local rivals Marítimo from the local municipality.
They played at the Campo do Adelino Rodrigues for a short period before winning promotion back to the Segunda Liga in 2011 rendered that stadium as inadequate. União returned to Barreiros for the 2011–12 season before relocating to the 3,300-capacity municipal stadium in Machico for the 2012–13 campaign and then again to the Centro Desportivo da Madeira at Ribeira Brava in 2014. Whilst remaining at the modest 2,500-seat venue after winning promotion to the Primeira Liga in 2015, the club had an agreement with top division rivals Nacional to play its high-profile home games at their larger stadium, the Estádio da Madeira. The stadium previously hosted several cup matches. In 2018, União were relegated from the Segunda Liga and in December 2018, they returned to Campo do Adelino Rodrigues.
Current squad Updated 27 September 2017
Honours National Portuguese Second Division: 3 1988–89, 2001–02, 2010–11
Regional AF Madeira Championship (tier 4): 16 1920–21, 1927–28, 1931–32, 1933–34, 1937–38, 1956–57, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1973–74, 1977–78, 1979–80 AF Madeira Cup: 17 1945–46, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1992–93, 1994–95, 2002–03, 2004–05
Managerial history
Victor Stansel (1927–28) Niculau Rodriguez (1940–41) Medina (1950–51) Ruperto Garcia (1958–59) Serafim Neves (1961–62) Lourenço (1973–74) Quim Teixeira (1974–75) Rosário (1977–78) Fernando Casaca (1980–82) Miguel Diogo (1982–83) Alexander Horváth (1984–85) Mário Morais (1985) Mourinho Félix (1985–86) Carlos Cardoso (1986–87) Rui Mâncio (1987–93) Ernesto Paulo (1993–97) Vítor Urbano (1997–98) Jorge Jesus (1998) Fernando Festas (1998–99) Rui Mâncio (1999) Eduardo Luís (1999) Manuel Balela (1999–00) Vítor Urbano (2000–01) Manuel Balela (2001–02) Horácio Gonçalves (2002–03) Vitor Manuel (2003–04) Bruno Cardoso (2004) Ernesto Paulo (2004–06) José Rachão (2006) Bruno Cardoso (2006–07) Carlos Condeço (2007–08) Edson Porto (2008–09) Daniel Quintal (2009–10) Daniel Ramos (2010–11) João Abel (2011) Predrag Jokanović (2011–13) José Barros (2013–14) Mário Nunes (2014) Rui Mâncio (2014) Vítor Oliveira (2014–15) Norton de Matos (2015–16) Filó (2016) José Viterbo (2017) Jorge Casquilha (2017) Paulo Alves (2017) José Viterbo (2017–18) Ricardo Chéu (2018) Nuno Pinto Gomes (2018–19) Marco Camacho (2019) Fábio Pereira (2019–)
Chairmen history
Ângelo Olim Marote (1913–14) Simeão Vieira (1914–15) Luís Inácio Ferreira (1915–16) Luis da Costa (1916–19) José Julião de Freitas (1919–21) Luís Inácio Ferreira (1921–22) Alferes Couto Vaz (1922–24) Elmano Augusto Vieira (1924–27) Luís Inácio Ferreira (1927–28) Alferes Filipe de Freitas (1928–29) Ernesto Acciaioly (1929–30) Juvenal de Carvalho (1930–31) Alvaro Castro Fagundes (1931–32) Agostinho Dias (1932–33) José da Silva Coelho (1933–35) Raul Simões Dias Paquete (1935–36) Carlos Passos Pestana (1936–38) Luís Sequeira (1938–39) César Augusto Pestana (1939–41) Leonel Silva (1941–43) José da Silva (1943–44) Elmano Augusto Vieira (1944–45) Luis da Costa (1945–46) Francisco Parente (1946–47) Abel Correia (1947–52) Mateus da Silva (1952–54) João Nepomuceno (1954–55) Vasco Andrade (1955–56) Luis Sotero Gomes (1956–58) Mateus da Silva (1958–59) Luis Sotero Gomes (1959–61) Leonel de Mendonça (1961–63) Mateus da Silva (1963–64) Mateus da Silva (1965–66) Luis Sotero Gomes (1966–67) João Edmundo Faria (1967–68) Rui Firmino Neponuceno (1972–74) Luis Sotero Gomes (1974–75) Jaime Ernesto Ramos (1975–76) Ramiro dos Santos Lopes (1983–84) Jaime Ernesto Ramos (1986–00) Roberto Marote (2002–10) Jaime Lucas (2010–)
League and cup history Season League Cup League Cup NotesTier1988–892 1342095542249Round 1Promoted1989–90 1 163451415244524Round 61990–91123891514305133Round 51991–92 18349619305824Round 5Relegated1992–932 23418115603447Round 5Promoted1993–94 1123411914364231Round 51994–95 163471017305424Round 4Relegated1995–96 273414911433751Round 41996–971134111013404543Round 51997–98123411815364841Round 31998–99 17348917345033Round 3Relegated1999–00 33382198653772Round 42000–0123818911463763Round 22001–02 1382495692481Round 3Promoted2002–03 21534101014311840Round 42003–04 183441515395327Round 4Relegated2004–05 333818911463763Round 32005–062261367452245Round 22006–071261736532154Round 42007–081261565431751Round 22008–092221453381547Round 42009–101302352702574Round 42010–11 1302073531867Round 5Promoted2011–12 2103091011354037Round 2Round 22012–131042131712474656Round 3Round 22013–141342141018504652Round 2Round 12014–15 246221410693980Round 2Round 3Promoted2015–161 17347819275029Round 4Round 2Relegated2016–17 2342171312524364Round 3Round 22017–18 173812818445344Round 5Round 3Relegated2018–19 3113412814283244Round 42019–20-34------Round 2
References
External links
Club Profile at ForaDeJogo Club Profile at LPFP Club Profile at NationalFootballTeams