The archive serves as a significant resource for accessing information about key figures in national and international sports history, including Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, Joaquim Agostinho, António Livramento, Carlos Lopes, Fernando Mamede, Rosa Mota, Aurora Cunha, Jordão, Toni, Humberto Coelho, Pelé, Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Maradona, Cristiano Ronaldo, among many others,” the ordinance text states.
The newsroom archive encompasses “thematic dossiers, censorship cuttings, original drawings used in the newspaper illustrations by Stuart Carvalhais, José Pargana, João Martins, Francisco Zambujal, Ricardo Galvão, Luís Afonso, and other cartoonists, along with complete collections of publications from the newspaper A Bola and other publications by the company as part of its editorial activity.”
The photographic archive contains documents “mostly after the 1945s of the 20th century, including gelatin and silver salt negatives on film, black and white and color paper proofs, microfilm reels, and electronic documents.”
The archive also consists of administrative documents related to the activities of A Bola’s newspaper company, including management bodies and support services (minutes, accounting, human resources, legal, etc.)
The classification of the archive is covered by Article 17 of Law No. 107/2001, dated September 8, “concerning the interest of the asset as a notable testimony of experiences or historical facts, its aesthetic, technical, or intrinsic material value, its extent and its reflection from the perspective of collective memory, its importance from the standpoint of historical or scientific research, and the circumstances likely to cause diminishment or loss of permanence or integrity of the asset as a result of its acquisition by a foreign entity.”
The collection is currently held by the Swiss media and technology group Ringier Sports Media Group (RSMG), who acquired the title in 2023.
The newspaper A Bola was founded in 1945 by Cândido de Oliveira, António Ribeiro dos Reis, Vicente da Costa e Melo, and Artur Rebelo. The first issue was published on January 29, 1945, under the direction of Álvaro de Andrade.
In its editorial, the newspaper declared itself “a space of freedom, seriousness, and fair play in the treatment of sports, committed to honest criticism and freedom of expression.”
Throughout its 80 years of existence, the newspaper A Bola featured contributions from journalistic figures such as Victor Santos, Alfredo Farinha, Carlos Pinhão, Aurélio Márcio, Homero Serpa Silva Resende, Nuno Ferrari, among others.
In literature, it published texts or interviews with Aquilino Ribeiro, Soeiro Pereira Gomes, Urbano Tavares Rodrigues, José Cardoso Pires, José Saramago, António Lobo Antunes, Maria Teresa Horta, Alexandre O’Neill, among others.
On January 27, 1995, the President of the Republic, Mário Soares, awarded the publication the title of Honorary Member of the Order of Infante D. Henrique.
