Support from a distance

Thousands of miles from Portugal, East Timor will be passionately supporting its former colonial master in today's Euro 2004 final. Hundreds of East Timorese gathered inside a football stadium in the seaside capital Dili in the early hours of Friday to...

Thousands of miles from Portugal, East Timor will be passionately supporting its former colonial master in today's Euro 2004 final.

Hundreds of East Timorese gathered inside a football stadium in the seaside capital Dili in the early hours of Friday to watch Portugal beat the Dutch 2-1 in the semi-final. The Portuguese victory set off a wave of celebrations in the world's youngest country.

Timorese use Portuguese names and Portuguese is one of the official languages. Portugal abruptly pulled out of East Timor in 1975, creating a power vacuum that paved the way for Indonesia's invasion of the half-island territory.

Most of East Timor's 200,000 population kept close ties with Portugal during Jakarta's 24 years of often brutal rule. Its national soccer team is expected to come under the umbrella of FIFA soon.

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