# 2002–03 Primeira Liga

The 2002–03 Primeira Liga was the 69th edition of top flight of Portuguese football. It started on 25 August 2002 with a match between Varzim and Paços de Ferreira, and ended on 1 June 2003. The league was contested by 18 clubs with Sporting CP as the defending champions.
Porto won the league and qualified for the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League group stage, along with Benfica, who qualified for the third round. Sporting and União de Leiria qualified for the 2003–04 UEFA Cup. In opposite, Varzim, Santa Clara and Vitória de Setúbal were relegated to the Segunda Liga. Faye Fary was the top scorer with 18 goals.

## Promotion and relegation
### Teams relegated to Segunda Liga

* Salgueiros
* Farense
* Alverca
Salgueiros, Farense and Alverca, were consigned to the Segunda Liga following their final classification in 2001–02 season.

### Teams promoted from Segunda Liga

* Moreirense
* Académica de Coimbra
* Nacional
The other three teams were replaced by Moreirense, Académica and Nacional from the Segunda Liga.

## Teams
### Stadia and locations

| Team | Head Coach | City | Stadium | 2001–02 finish |
| Académica de Coimbra | João Alves | Coimbra | Estádio Cidade de Coimbra | 2nd in Segunda Liga |
| Beira-Mar | António Sousa | Aveiro | Estádio Mário Duarte | 11th |
| Belenenses | Marinho Peres | Lisbon | Estádio do Restelo | 5th |
| Benfica | Jesualdo Ferreira | Lisbon | Estádio Nacional | 4th |
| Boavista | Jaime Pacheco | Porto | Estádio do Bessa | 2nd |
| Braga | Castro Santos | Braga | Estádio Primeiro de Maio | 10th |
| Marítimo | Nelo Vingada | Funchal | Estádio dos Barreiros | 11th |
| Moreirense | Manuel Machado | Moreira de Cónegos | Parque de Jogos | 1st in Segunda Liga |
| Nacional | José Peseiro | Funchal | Estádio da Madeira | 3rd in Segunda Liga |
| Paços de Ferreira | José Mota | Paços de Ferreira | Estádio da Mata Real | 8th |
| Porto | José Mourinho | Porto | Estádio das Antas | 3rd |
| Gil Vicente | Vítor Oliveira | Barcelos | Estádio Adelino Ribeiro Novo | 12th |
| Santa Clara | Manuel Fernandes | Ponta Delgada | Estádio de São Miguel | 14th |
| Sporting CP | László Bölöni | Lisbon | Estádio José Alvalade | 1st |
| União de Leiria | Manuel Cajuda | Leiria | Estádio Municipal da Marinha Grande | 7th |
| Varzim | José Alberto Costa | Póvoa de Varzim | Estádio do Varzim Sport Club | 15th |
| Vitória de Guimarães | Augusto Inácio | Guimarães | Estádio D. Afonso Henriques | 9th |
| Vitória de Setúbal | Luís Campos | Setúbal | Estádio do Bonfim | 13th |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| Académica de Coimbra | João Alves | 26 October 2002 | 18th | Artur Jorge | 26 October 2002 |
| Santa Clara | Manuel Fernandes | 17 November 2002 | 16th | Carlos Alberto Silva | 18 November 2002 |
| Benfica | Jesualdo Ferreira | 24 November 2002 | 3rd | Fernando Chalana | 25 November 2002 |
| Benfica | Fernando Chalana | 1 December 2002 | 3rd | Camacho | 2 December 2002 |
| Vitória de Setúbal | Luís Campos | 3 February 2003 | 16th | Diamantino Miranda | 4 February 2003 |
| Belenenses | Marinho Peres | 9 February 2003 | 10th | Manuel José | 10 February 2003 |
| Varzim | José Alberto Costa | 8 March 2003 | 10th | Luís Campos | 9 March 2003 |
| Vitória de Setúbal | Diamantino Miranda | 9 March 2003 | 17th | Carlos Cardoso | 10 March 2003 |
| Braga | Castro Santos | 6 April 2003 | 14th | Jesualdo Ferreira | 20 April 2003 |

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Porto (C) | 34 | 27 | 5 | 2 | 73 | 26 | +47 | 86 | Qualification to Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Benfica | 34 | 23 | 6 | 5 | 74 | 27 | +47 | 75 | Qualification to Champions League third qualifying round |
| 3 | Sporting CP | 34 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 52 | 38 | +14 | 59 | Qualification to UEFA Cup first round |
| 4 | Vitória de Guimarães | 34 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 47 | 46 | +1 | 50 | |
| 5 | União de Leiria | 34 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 49 | 47 | +2 | 49 | Qualification to UEFA Cup qualifying round |
| 6 | Paços de Ferreira | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 40 | 47 | −7 | 45 | |
| 7 | Marítimo | 34 | 13 | 5 | 16 | 36 | 48 | −12 | 44 | |
| 8 | Gil Vicente | 34 | 13 | 5 | 16 | 42 | 53 | −11 | 44 | |
| 9 | Belenenses | 34 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 47 | 48 | −1 | 43 | |
| 10 | Boavista | 34 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 32 | 31 | +1 | 43 | |
| 11 | Nacional | 34 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 40 | 46 | −6 | 40 | |
| 12 | Moreirense | 34 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 42 | 46 | −4 | 39 | |
| 13 | Beira-Mar | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 43 | 50 | −7 | 39 | |
| 14 | Braga | 34 | 8 | 14 | 12 | 34 | 47 | −13 | 38 | |
| 15 | Académica | 34 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 38 | 48 | −10 | 37 | |
| 16 | Varzim (R) | 34 | 10 | 6 | 18 | 38 | 51 | −13 | 36 | Relegation to Segunda Liga |
| 17 | Santa Clara (R) | 34 | 8 | 11 | 15 | 39 | 54 | −15 | 35 | Relegation to Segunda Liga |
| 18 | Vitória de Setúbal (R) | 34 | 6 | 13 | 15 | 40 | 53 | −13 | 31 | Relegation to Segunda Liga |
* ↑ Leiria qualified for the UEFA Cup as Portuguese Cup runners-up

## Results

| Home \ Away | ACA | BEM | BEL | BEN | BOA | BRA | GVI | MAR | MOR | NAC | PAÇ | POR | STC | SCP | ULE | VAR | VGU | VSE |
| Académica | | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–4 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 |
| Beira-Mar | 1–0 | | 2–1 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 2–2 | 5–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 5–3 |
| Belenenses | 2–0 | 3–2 | | 2–4 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| Benfica | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | | 1–1 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 7–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 |
| Boavista | 4–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 0–0 | | 2–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 |
| Braga | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–0 | | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–4 | 1–0 |
| Gil Vicente | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 3–0 | | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–5 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 |
| Marítimo | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 3–1 | | 3–1 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–5 |
| Moreirense | 1–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 |
| Nacional | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | | 4–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 |
| Paços de Ferreira | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–3 | | 1–0 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 |
| Porto | 4–1 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 5–2 | 2–1 | | 5–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 |
| Santa Clara | 0–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 4–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 1–3 | | 0–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 |
| Sporting CP | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–4 |
| União de Leiria | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–4 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–2 | | 3–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 |
| Varzim | 0–3 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | | 0–1 | 3–2 |
| Vitória de Guimarães | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–4 | 0–2 | 5–0 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 2–3 | | 1–0 |
| Vitória de Setúbal | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–6 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–4 | 1–2 | |

## Top goalscorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Faye Fary | Beira-Mar | 18 |
| 2 | Simão | Benfica | 18 |
| 3 | Adriano | Nacional | 16 |
| 4 | Gaúcho | Marítimo | 15 |
| 5 | Hélder Postiga | Porto | 13 |
| 5 | Tiago | Benfica | 13 |
| 7 | Maciel | União de Leiria | 12 |
| 7 | José Barroso | Braga | 12 |
| 9 | Paulo Alves | Gil Vicente | 11 |
| 9 | Mário Jardel | Sporting | 11 |
| 9 | Dário | Académica | 11 |
| 9 | Ricardo Sousa | Beira-Mar | 11 |
Source: Footballzz

## Footnotes

* ↑ "Teams". Footballzz.
* ↑ "Primeira Liga 2002-03 – Top Scorers". Footballzz. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
* ↑ "Statistics at Futebol365". Archived from the original on 2012-11-09. Retrieved 2011-12-11.