100 Portuguese fans and around 70 English fans met, socialised and chatted football in anticipation of tonight’s match and EURO2004 to be held here this summer.

A message from Sven was played at the forum in which he emphasised again what a great country Portugal was before revealing his hopes that everyone would have a fantastic time during the “festival of football’ this summer.

“It was a really positive evening,” said The FA’s Jonathan Arana who attended the event. “Everyone enjoyed each other’s company. These events are exactly what we’ll be looking to replicate during the course of the tournament this summer. It’s been a tremendous start.”

The FA and the British Council have played a role in helping to organise the supporter initiatives but the real leaders have been the fans themselves. After the party on Tuesday night, a group of England fans visited a secondary school to talk football with Portuguese children on Wednesday morning.

Nick Hornby’s book ‘Fever Pitch’ is among those being used in Portugal in order to harness the passion for football to increase levels of literacy and linguistics. After leaving the school, the group went on to visit a children's refuge, for which funds were raised last night through the raffling of a signed England shirt.

“For fans to give up their own time in order to do these sorts of things says everything about their approach to their football and travelling,” commented Arana. “They are here to make friends, build relationships and enjoy their football.”

The senior British police officer advising the Portuguese, Deputy chief constable David Swift, of Staffordshire Police, summed up the mood of optimism when he said: "I feel the ingredients are there for us to be able to enjoy a good festival of football, which is remembered for the football and nothing else.”

Meanwhile, Home Office Minister Hazel Blears, who will watch tonight’s match, said it would be a good test for EURO2004.

"We will test out some of our ways of working," she said.

"We are absolutely determined in England to do everything we can to make sure that people in Portugal enjoy the football.”