2003–04 Northern Premier League, Premier Division, Play-offs
Eight teams competed for the final Conference North place; including Hyde United, champions of Division One.


2003–04 Northern Premier League, Promotion and relegation
In the thirty-sixth season of the Northern Premier League the top fourteen teams of the Premier Division plus Bradford Park Avenue were promoted to the newly formed Conference North. They were replaced by the top fourteen teams of the First Division, who in turn were replaced by the following fourteen teams:


2003–04 Northern Premier League, Promotion and relegation
While no teams were relegated this season, the league reform meant the teams that missed out on "promotion" remained in a league that had its position in the English football league system downgraded by one tier while the "promoted" teams actually remained on the same level of the league system.


2003–04 Northern Premier League, Cup results
President's Cup: 'Plate' competition for losing teams in the NPL Cup.


2003–04 Northern Premier League, Cup results
Chairman's Cup: 'Plate' competition for losing teams in the NPL Cup.


2003–04 Northern Premier League, Cup results
Peter Swales Shield: Between Champions of NPL Premier Division and Winners of the NPL Cup.


2003–04 Norwich City F.C. season
The 2003–04 season was the 102nd season in the history of Norwich City, and the club's ninth consecutive season competing in the Football League First Division.


2003–04 Norwich City F.C. season
Norwich gained promotion to the FA Premier League as league champions with 94 points, finishing eight points ahead of runners-up West Bromwich Albion.


2003–04 Norwich City F.C. season, Kit
Norwich maintained their kit manufacturing deal with Xara, who produced a new kit for the next two seasons.


2003–04 Norwich City F.C. season, Players, First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Norwich City F.C. season, Players, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Nottingham Forest F.C. season
During the 2003–04 English football season, Nottingham Forest competed in the Football League First Division.


2003–04 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Season summary
The 2003–2004 season saw Paul Hart suffer from a squad that was low in confidence and with no money. However, Forest started reasonably well, winning five of their first seven games and after 15 games, they won seven and lost five and were in the top half of the table. Unfortunately, when they went into the bottom three, after going 14 games without a win, the Forest chairman Nigel Doughty called time on Hart's reign as Forest manager.


2003–04 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, Season summary
Joe Kinnear was then brought in to replace Hart. The club's directors looked to have made a good decision when Kinnear revitalised Forest, bringing out the best in key players like Michael Dawson and Andy Reid, and they climbed up the table to secure a safe 14th place.


2003–04 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Nottingham Forest F.C. season, First-team squad, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 OB I bajnoksag season
The 2003–04 OB I bajnokság season was the 67th season of the OB I bajnokság, the top level of ice hockey in Hungary. Six teams participated in the league, and Alba Volan Szekesfehervar won the championship.


2003–04 OGC Nice season
The 2003–04 season was the 100th season in the existence of OGC Nice and the club's second consecutive season in the top-flight of French football. In addition to the domestic league, Nice participated in this season's editions of the Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue.


2003–04 OHL season
The 2003–04 OHL season was the 24th season of the Ontario Hockey League. In November 2003, the OHL Board of Governors renamed the OHL Humanitarian of the Year Award to the Dan Snyder Memorial Trophy, in recognition of former Owen Sound Platers player, Dan Snyder, who died in a car accident in September 2003. Twenty teams each played 68 games. The J. Ross Robertson Cup was won by the Guelph Storm, who swept the Mississauga IceDogs in the league final.


2003–04 OHL season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: DIV = Division; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime Losses; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against; PTS = Points; x = clinched playoff berth; y = clinched division title; z = clinched conference title


2003–04 OHL season, CHL Canada/Russia Series
In the RE/MAX Canada-Russia Challenge, the OHL All-stars defeated the Russian Selects 7–1 at London, Ontario, on November 17, and the OHL All-stars defeated the Russian Selects 4–0 at Sarnia, Ontario, on November 19.


2003–04 OHL season, 2004 OHL Priority Selection
On May 1, 2004, the OHL conducted the 2004 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection. The Belleville Bulls held the first overall pick in the draft, and selected John Hughes from the Whitby Wildcats. Hughes was awarded the Jack Ferguson Award, awarded to the top pick in the draft.


2003–04 OHL season, 2004 OHL Priority Selection
Below are the players who were selected in the first round of the 2004 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection.


2003–04 OHL season, 2004 CHL Import Draft
On June 30, 2004, the Canadian Hockey League conducted the 2004 CHL Import Draft, in which teams in all three CHL leagues participate in. The Owen Sound Attack held the first pick in the draft by a team in the OHL, and selected Andrej Sekera from the Slovakia with their selection.


2003–04 OHL season, 2004 CHL Import Draft
Below are the players who were selected in the first round by Ontario Hockey League teams in the 2004 CHL Import Draft.


2003–04 OK Liga
The 2003–04 OK Liga was the 35th season of the top-tier league of rink hockey in Spain.


2003–04 OK Liga, Competition format
The eight first teams at the end of the regular season qualified for the playoffs while the three last teams were relegated to Primera División.


2003–04 OK Liga, Playoffs
Seeded teams played games 1, 2 and 5 of the series at home.


2003–04 OK Liga, Copa del Rey
The 2004 Copa del Rey was the 61st edition of the Spanish men's roller hockey cup. It was played in Reus between the eight first qualified teams after the first half of the season.


2003–04 OK Liga, Copa del Rey
Liceo Vodafone won its ninth title, the first one since 1997.


2003–04 OPJHL season
The 2003–04 OPJHL season is the 11th season of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League (OPJHL). The thirty-five teams of the North, South, East, and West divisions competed in a 49-game schedule.


2003–04 OPJHL season
Come February, the top eight teams of each division competed for the Frank L. Buckland Trophy, the OPJHL championship. The winner of the Buckland Cup, the Aurora Tigers, went on to win both the Dudley Hewitt Cup as Central Canadian Champions and the 2004 Royal Bank Cup as National Champions.


2003–04 OPJHL season, Final standings
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime Losses; SL = Shootout Losses; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against; PTS = Points; x = clinched playoff berth; y = clinched division title; z = clinched conference title


2003–04 OPJHL season, Dudley Hewitt Cup Championship
Hosted by North Bay Skyhawks in North Bay, Ontario. Aurora Tigers won the event.


2003–04 OPJHL season, 2004 Royal Bank Cup Championship
Hosted by Grande Prairie Storm in Grande Prairie, Alberta. Aurora Tigers won the event.


2003–04 Oberliga (ice hockey) season
The 2003–04 Oberliga season was the 45th season for the Oberliga, the then second-level ice hockey league in Germany. It was divided into two groups (South-West and North-East). REV Bremerhaven won the championship and were promoted. A total of 20 teams participated.


2003–04 Ohio Bobcats men's basketball team
The 2003–04 Ohio Bobcats men's basketball team represented Ohio University in the college basketball season of 2003–04. The team was coached by Tim O'Shea and played their home games at the Convocation Center.


2003–04 Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball team
The 2003–04 Oklahoma State Cowboys men's basketball team represents Oklahoma State University in the 2003–04 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by 14th-year head coach Eddie Sutton. In 2002–03, the Cowboys finished 22–10 (10–6 in the Big 12 Conference).


2003–04 Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball team, Preseason
Four transfers became eligible to play for the Cowboys this season. Joey and Stevie Graham transferred from the University of Central Florida, Daniel Bobik transferred from BYU, and John Lucas III transferred from Baylor University but did not have to sit out the required year after the Baylor University basketball scandal.


2003–04 Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball team, Regular season
The Cowboys won their first four games before traveling to BYU and take on Daniel Bobik's former team and Rafael Araújo, who gave the Cowboys their first setback of the year. After six more consecutive wins, OSU lost in a blowout in their first conference game against Bob Knight's Texas Tech Red Raiders in Lubbock. The Cowboys then won 11 straight conference games before falling in double overtime to the Missouri. Oklahoma State won the regular season conference championship, finishing with a record of 14-2. Until 2018-19, it was the last time a team other than the Kansas Jayhawks won the Big 12 regular-season championship outright. (Oklahoma State and Kansas shared the title in 2004-05.)


2003–04 Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball team, Postseason
Oklahoma State followed up its regular season Big 12 Conference championship with the tournament championship. OSU received a #2 seed in the East Regional, where it defeated the #1 seed St. Joseph's University in the regional final with the game-winning shot coming from John Lucas III. At the Final Four, the Cowboys fell to Georgia Tech on a last-second shot by Will Bynum.


2003–04 Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball team, Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.


2003–04 Oldham Athletic A.F.C. season
During the 2003–04 English football season, Oldham Athletic A.F.C. competed in the Football League Second Division.


2003–04 Oldham Athletic A.F.C. season, Players, First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Oldham Athletic A.F.C. season, Players, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Olympiacos F.C. season
The 2003–04 season was Olympiacos's 44th consecutive season in the Alpha Ethniki and their 8th consecutive season in the UEFA Champions League. In the beginning of the summertime Olympiacos named Greek Nikos Alefantos coach.


2003–04 Olympiacos F.C. season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Olympique Lyonnais season
The 2003–04 season was the 105th season in the existence of Olympique Lyonnais and the club's 15th consecutive season in the top flight of French football. They participated in the Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, the Coupe de la Ligue, the Trophée des Champions and UEFA Champions League.


2003–04 Olympique Lyonnais season, First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Olympique Lyonnais season, First-team squad, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Olympique de Marseille season
Olympique de Marseille returned to the UEFA Champions League for the first time in four years, and in spite of going out in the group stage, the side made headlines in the UEFA Cup, knocking Liverpool, Internazionale and Newcastle United out on the way to the final, where the sending off of goalkeeper Fabien Barthez and the converted penalty kick from Valencia's Vicente saw Valencia eventually edge the game.


2003–04 Olympique de Marseille season
In the domestic campaign, Marseille endured a disappointing campaign, where manager Alain Perrin was replaced by José Anigo early on, following the inability to hang onto the top teams. The end result was seventh, missing out even on UEFA Cup qualification, in spite of having the French player of the season in Didier Drogba in the team. The Ivorian striker netted 19 league goals and was instrumental to OM's fortunes in Europe, and following the season he was sold to Chelsea.


2003–04 Olympique de Marseille season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Olympique de Marseille season, Squad, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Omani League
The 2003–04 Omani League was the 28th edition of the top football league in Oman. It began on 6 November 2003 and finished on 27 May 2004. Ruwi Club were the defending champions, having won the previous 2002–03 Omani League season. On Thursday, 27 May 2004, Al-Nasr S.C.S.C. won 2-1 at home in their final league match against Al-Oruba SC and emerged as the champions of the 2003–04 Omani League with a total of 46 points.


2003–04 Omani League, Teams
This season the league had decreased from 14 to 12 teams. Nizwa Club, Sidab Club, Al-Salam SC and Al-Ahli Club were relegated to the Second Division League after finishing in the relegation zone in the 2002–03 season. The four relegated teams were replaced by Second Division League teams Al-Tali'aa SC and Al-Nahda Club.


2003–04 Orlando Magic season
The 2003–04 NBA season was the 15th season for the Orlando Magic in the National Basketball Association. During the offseason, the Magic signed free agents Juwan Howard and Tyronn Lue. Injuries hamstrung the Magic from the start of the season as Grant Hill missed the entire season recovering from ankle surgery, while Pat Garrity was lost after just two games with a knee injury. The Magic started the season with an 85–83 win on the road against the New York Knicks.


2003–04 Orlando Magic season
However, their season would go straight down right after as they lost their next 19 games costing head coach Doc Rivers his job. With replacement Johnny Davis taking over, the Magic never recovered from their losing streak as they lost thirteen straight near the end of the season, finishing last place in the Atlantic Division with a league-worst 21–61 record, the franchise's worst record since 1991–92.


2003–04 Orlando Magic season
The season is notable for Tracy McGrady leading the league in scoring for the second straight time, averaging 28.0 points per game while being selected for the 2004 NBA All-Star Game. Following the season, McGrady was traded along with Howard, Lue and Reece Gaines to the Houston Rockets, and second-year forward Drew Gooden was dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers.


2003–04 Országos Bajnokság I (men's water polo)
2003–04 Országos Bajnokság I (men's water polo) was the 98th water polo championship in Hungary.


2003–04 Országos Bajnokság I (men's water polo), First stage
Pld - Played; W - Won; L - Lost; PF - Points for; PA - Points against; Diff - Difference; Pts - Points.


2003–04 Országos Bajnokság I (men's water polo), Sources
This article about a water polo competition in Hungary is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .


2003–04 Ottawa Senators season
The 2003–04 Ottawa Senators season was the 12th season of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). This season would see the Senators again finish with over 100 points, finishing with 102, but this was good for only third in the tightly-contested division, as the Boston Bruins would have 104 and the Toronto Maple Leafs 103. Ottawa would meet Toronto in the first-round of the playoffs for the fourth time, where the Maple Leafs would win the series 4–3 to end the Senators' playoff hopes. Ottawa would fire Head Coach Jacques Martin after the playoff round.


2003–04 Ottawa Senators season, Offseason
In the off-season, Eugene Melnyk would purchase the club to bring financial stability. Another change was in the general manager position. Marshall Johnston resigned and was replaced by John Muckler on June 3, 2003. Muckler had been a candidate for the positions of Ottawa head coach or GM back in 1992, but had chosen to sign on with the Buffalo Sabres instead.


2003–04 Ottawa Senators season, Offseason
On June 21, 2003, Assistant Coach Roger Neilson died after four years of battling cancer. The Senators would wear a patch on their jerseys with an illustration of his signature and a necktie. Neilson would often wear distinctive neckties and the necktie became associated with him, and also became the symbol for "Roger's House", a residence for the use of families with a family member fighting cancer while in hospital, established by him and the Senators.


2003–04 Ottawa Senators season, Regular season
Marian Hossa lead the club in scoring with 82 points, good enough for sixth overall in the NHL.


2003–04 Ottawa Senators season, Regular season, Highlights
On February 5, 2004, the Senators were playing the Toronto Maple Leafs and were leading 4–0 in the second period. The flu started affecting players on the Senators leading the team to be down to only 15 skaters by the end of the game. The Maple Leafs took full advantage and won the game 5–4 in overtime.


2003–04 Ottawa Senators season, Regular season, Highlights
On March 5, 2004, in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers, a record was set for the most penalty minutes in a game by both teams, at 419 minutes. Five brawls broke out in the last two minutes of the game. It took the officials until 90 minutes after the game was over to sort out the penalties. By the end of the game, Philadelphia had 213 penalty minutes and seven men left on the bench, while Ottawa finished with 206 penalty minutes and six men left.


2003–04 Ottawa Senators season, Regular season, Highlights
The Senators finished the regular season first overall in the NHL in scoring (262 goals for), power-play goals scored (80) and power-play percentage (21.62%).


2003–04 Ottawa Senators season, Regular season, Division standings
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points         Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.


2003–04 Ottawa Senators season, Regular season, Division standings
Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast


2003–04 Ottawa Senators season, Regular season, Division standings
Z –  Clinched Conference; Y –  Clinched Division; X –  Clinched Playoff spot


2003–04 Ottawa Senators season, Playoffs
In the first round of the 2004 playoffs, the Senators would lose again to the Maple Leafs for the fourth straight time. By now, Ottawa had developed a strong rivalry with their Ontario cousins and there was a great deal of pressure on the team to finally defeat the Leafs. Two days after the Senators' loss, Head Coach Jacques Martin was fired, and goaltender Patrick Lalime was later traded to the St. Louis Blues.


2003–04 Ottawa Senators season, Playoffs
Martin had been coach of the Senators for eight-and-a-half years. He was well respected, earned a 341–255–96 regular season record with the Senators, had led the team to eight consecutive playoff appearances and was widely credited with changing the team into an elite NHL franchise. He also won the Jack Adams Trophy as Coach of the Year in 1999. However, after losing eight of 12 playoff series, including all four series in five years against the rival Toronto Maple Leafs, Senators ownership felt that a new coach was required for playoff success.


2003–04 Ottawa Senators season, Playoffs
On June 8, 2004, Bryan Murray of nearby town Shawville, Quebec, became the team's fifth head coach, leaving the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. where he had previously been general manager.


2003–04 Ottawa Senators season, Draft picks
Ottawa's draft picks from the 2003 NHL Entry Draft held on June 21 and June 22, 2003 at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tennessee.


2003–04 PAOK FC season
The 2003–04 season was PAOK Football Club’s 78th in existence and the club’s 45th consecutive season in the top flight of Greek football. The team will enter the Greek Football Cup in the First round and will also enter in UEFA Cup  starting from the First round.


2003–04 PAOK FC season, Players, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 PAOK FC season, Statistics, Squad statistics
Appearances denote players in the starting lineup, with the numbers in parentheses denoting appearances as substitute.


2003–04 PFC Cherno More Varna season
This page covers all relevant details regarding PFC Cherno More Varna for all official competitions inside the 2003–04 season. These are A Group and Bulgarian Cup.


2003–04 PFC Levski Sofia season
The 2003–04 season was Levski Sofia's 82nd season in the First League. This article shows player statistics and all matches (official and friendly) that the club will play during the 2003–04 season.


2003–04 PFC Levski Sofia season, First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 PFC Levski Sofia season, Competitions, Bulgarian Cup
Levski are eliminated from the competition with 4–1 on aggregate.


2003–04 PSV Eindhoven season
During the 2003–04 Dutch football season, PSV Eindhoven competed in the Eredivisie.


2003–04 PSV Eindhoven season, Season summary
Despite the 31 goals of Mateja Kežman, PSV failed to retain their title.


2003–04 PSV Eindhoven season, First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Panathinaikos F.C. season
In the 2003–04 season Panathinaikos played for 48th consecutive time in Greece's top division, Alpha Ethniki. They also competed in UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup and Greek Cup.


2003–04 Panathinaikos F.C. season, First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Panonian League season
The 2003–2004 Panonian League Season was the second season of the multinational Panonian league. As in the previous season, teams from Hungary, Romania and Croatia participated. A newcomer, HK Vojvodina from Serbia (then Serbia and Montenegro) participated too. At the end of the season the playoffs were held. The top two teams in the regular season qualified for the playoffs. The season lasted from October 25, 2003 to February 10, 2004.


2003–04 Panonian League season
The league was abandoned after the season, as the teams from Hungary and Romania went off to form their own new league, the MOL Liga. It would not be until 2007 that the league once again functioned.


2003–04 Panonian League season, Playoffs, Semifinals
The semifinals were held on February 7 & February 11, 2004.


2003–04 Panonian League season, Playoffs, Finals
The finals were held on the 25th and 28 March 2004.


2003–04 Paris Saint-Germain F.C. season
The 2003–04 season was Paris Saint-Germain's 34th season in existence. PSG played their home league games at the Parc des Princes in Paris, registering an average attendance of 38,810 spectators per match. The club was presided by Francis Graille and the team was coached by Vahid Halilhodžić. Frédéric Déhu  was the team captain.


2003–04 Parma A.C. season
Parma Associazione Calcio endured a season of horror, in which the club formerly known as Parma A.C. went into bankruptcy in the middle of the season, seeing out the season in order to avoid the chaos it would cause to the league pyramid. The reason for the bankruptcy was the financial fraud of its owner Calisto Tanzi, who had embezzled money from his company Parmalat, which also went out of business. The club was reformed under its original name as Parma F.C., and finished fifth in the standings.


2003–04 Parma A.C. season
Its glory days were over, however, and the club was forced to sell several key players in the summer of 2004, among them Hidetoshi Nakata, Matteo Ferrari and Matteo Brighi. However, its two most noted players, goalkeeper Sébastien Frey and top scorer and youngster Alberto Gilardino remained with the club, since it did not receive good enough offers to part with the two players.


2003–04 Parma A.C. season
The season was also the last in which Parma wore its distinctive blue and yellow colours at home, those being associated with Parmalat's ownership. From the 2004–05 season onwards the club reverted to its original white shirt with a black cross design. Club legend Antonio Benarrivo finished his career following the season, being the last player from the 1999 UEFA Cup winning team to leave.


2003–04 Parma A.C. season, Players, Squad information
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Parma A.C. season, Players, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Partick Thistle F.C. season
The 2003–04 season saw Partick Thistle compete in the Scottish Premier League where they finished in 12th position with 26 points, suffering relegation to the Scottish First Division.


2003–04 Persepolis F.C. season
The 2003–04 season was the Persepolis's 3rd season in the Pro League, and their 21st consecutive season in the top division of Iranian Football. They were also be competing in the Hazfi Cup. Persepolis was captained by Afshin Peyrovani.


2003–04 Persepolis F.C. season, Squad
As of October 2003. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Perth Glory SC season
The 2003–04 Perth Glory SC season was the club's eighth season since its establishment in 1996, and its final season in the National Soccer League (NSL). Perth Glory finished top of the league and were crowned champions after defeating Parramatta Power in the 2004 NSL Grand Final.


2003–04 Philadelphia 76ers season
The 2003–04 NBA season was the 76ers' 65th season, and their 55th in the National Basketball Association. During the offseason, the Sixers acquired All-Star forward Glenn Robinson from the Atlanta Hawks and rookie Kyle Korver, who was drafted by the New Jersey Nets in the 2003 NBA draft. After Larry Brown left to become head coach of the Detroit Pistons, the Sixers hired Randy Ayers as his replacement. However, at midseason, Ayers was fired after a 21–31 start, and interim head coach Chris Ford took over for the rest of the season.


2003–04 Philadelphia 76ers season
Superstar guard Allen Iverson had a rough year in which he had clashed with coaches and skipped a number of practices. Despite Iverson playing only 48 games due to injuries, he still was voted to start in the 2004 NBA All-Star Game. Robinson finished second on the team in scoring averaging 16.6 points per game, but played just 42 games due to ankle and elbow injuries.


2003–04 Philadelphia 76ers season
The Sixers lost 15 more games than the previous season, finishing fifth in the Atlantic Division with a 33–49 record and missing the playoffs for the first time since 1998. Following the season, Eric Snow was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Derrick Coleman was traded to the Detroit Pistons, and Ford was fired.


2003–04 Philadelphia 76ers season, Offseason, Draft picks, Draft day transactions
The 76ers selected French point guard Paccelis Morlende with the 50th overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft. On draft day, the Sixers purchased Kyle Korver from the New Jersey Nets. They also traded Morlende to the Seattle SuperSonics for Willie Green. Green would play with the Sixers for seven seasons.


2003–04 Philadelphia 76ers season, Offseason, July
On July 16, the Sixers signed Amal McCaskill. McCaskill would play in more games with the Sixers than with all of his other previous NBA teams combined. One week later, the Sixers were involved in a four-team trade with the New York Knicks, the Atlanta Hawks, and the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Sixers traded Keith Van Horn to the Knicks, as well as Randy Holcomb and a 2007 first-round draft pick to the Hawks. The Hawks did not receive the draft pick because it was lottery protected, so they received cash instead. The Hawks traded Glenn Robinson and a 2006 second-round draft pick to the Sixers. The Timberwolves traded Marc Jackson to Philadelphia. Robinson would start all of the games he played in for Philadelphia. Jackson would only play in 22 games with the 76ers.


2003–04 Philadelphia 76ers season, Offseason, August–October
On August 8, the Sixers waived Efthimios Rentzias. On October 11, the Sixers waived William Avery.


2003–04 Philadelphia Flyers season
The 2003–04 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Flyers' 37th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers reached the Eastern Conference Finals but lost in seven games to the Tampa Bay Lightning.


2003–04 Philadelphia Flyers season, Regular season
Free-agent goaltender Jeff Hackett was signed from the Boston Bruins to replace Roman Cechmanek and challenge backup Robert Esche for the number one spot in 2003–04, but Hackett was forced to retire in February due to vertigo. During the course of the season, serious injuries suffered by both Jeremy Roenick (broken jaw) and Keith Primeau (concussion) in February forced the Flyers to trade for the Chicago Blackhawks' Alexei Zhamnov, who filled in well and kept the Flyers afloat. Esche entrenched himself as starter and remained in that position even after the Flyers re-acquired Sean Burke from the Phoenix Coyotes, as the Flyers clinched the Atlantic Division title over the New Jersey Devils on the last day of the season.


2003–04 Philadelphia Flyers season, Regular season, Season standings
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points         Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.


2003–04 Philadelphia Flyers season, Regular season, Season standings
Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast


2003–04 Philadelphia Flyers season, Regular season, Season standings
Z –  Clinched Conference; Y –  Clinched Division; X –  Clinched Playoff spot


2003–04 Philadelphia Flyers season, Playoffs
Though solid in net, Esche's performance was over-shadowed by the play of captain Keith Primeau in the playoffs. Primeau led the Flyers past the defending Stanley Cup champion Devils in five, and the Toronto Maple Leafs in six on their way to the Eastern Conference Finals and a match-up with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Despite winning Game 6 on the late-game heroics of Primeau and winger Simon Gagne, the Flyers would come up short once again losing Game 7 in Tampa, 2–1.


2003–04 Philadelphia Flyers season, Schedule and results, Regular season
Win (2 points)  Loss (0 points)  Tie/overtime loss (1 point)


2003–04 Philadelphia Flyers season, Transactions
The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from June 10, 2003, the day after the deciding game of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals, through June 7, 2004, the day of the deciding game of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals.


2003–04 Philadelphia Flyers season, Transactions, Signings, Free agency
The following players were signed by the Flyers via free agency. Two-way contracts are marked with an asterisk (*).


2003–04 Philadelphia Flyers season, Transactions, Signings, Internal
The following players were either re-signed by the Flyers or, in the case of the team's selections in the NHL Entry Draft, signed to entry level contracts. Two-way contracts are marked with an asterisk (*).


2003–04 Philadelphia Flyers season, Transactions, Waivers
The Flyers were involved in the following waivers transactions. They were involved in one selection during the 2003 NHL Waiver Draft, which was held on October 3, 2003. The Flyers protected the following players: goaltenders Robert Esche and Jeff Hackett; defensemen Eric Desjardins, Kim Johnsson, Marcus Ragnarsson, John Slaney and Eric Weinrich; and forwards Tony Amonte, Donald Brashear, Eric Chouinard, Todd Fedoruk, Simon Gagne, Michal Handzus, Sami Kapanen, Claude Lapointe, John LeClair, Keith Primeau, Mark Recchi, Jeremy Roenick and Justin Williams. The Flyers left the following players unprotected: goaltender Neil Little; defenseman Chris Therien; and forwards Boyd Kane, Kirby Law, Ian MacNeil, Mark Murphy, Mike Peluso, Andre Savage, Mike Siklenka, Pete Vandermeer and Peter White.


2003–04 Philadelphia Flyers season, Transactions, Departures
The following players left the team via free agency, release, or retirement. Players who were under contract and left the team during the season are marked with an asterisk (*).


2003–04 Philadelphia Flyers season, Draft picks
Philadelphia's picks at the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, which was held at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 21–22, 2003. The Flyers traded their originally allotted second, fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth, and ninth-round draft picks in five different trades.


2003–04 Philadelphia Flyers season, Farm teams
The Flyers were affiliated with the Philadelphia Phantoms of the AHL and the Trenton Titans of the ECHL.


2003–04 Philippine Basketball League season, New theme
The Philippine Basketball League (PBL), in partnership with the giant network ABS-CBN through Studio 23 and ABS-CBN Sports presentation of the league, adopted a new slogan "Ito ang tunay na ligang bayan".


2003–04 Philippine Basketball League season, 2003-04 Platinum Cup, Finals
Fash (formerly Hapee) leaned on a couple of three-pointers by Larry Fonacier in the last quarter of the deciding fifth game to down Welcoat Paints and clinch the championship. Fash coach Junel Baculi now match former Stag coach Alfrancis Chua as the winningest mentor in the PBL with seven titles.


2003–04 Philippine Basketball League season, 2004 Unity Cup, Finals
Viva Mineral Water-FEU wins their first championship since joining the league in this same conference last year, where they lost to Hapee after taking a 2-1 series lead in the finals. Welcoat threatened to extend the series by taking an eight-point lead, 43-35, midway in the third quarter, but the Water Force ended their scoring drought with eight unanswered points for a 43-all deadlock entering the final period.


2003–04 Philippine Basketball League season, Occurrences
PBL Commissioner Chino Trinidad resign unexpectedly at halftime of Game three of Fash-Welcoat finals series, Trinidad admitted his frustration and displeasure on a display of defiance by Welcoat players following the choice of Fash' Peter June Simon as MVP over Welcoat' Jercules Tangkay. Deputy commissioner Tommy Ong was named interim chief of the league.


2003–04 Phoenix Coyotes season
The 2003–04 Phoenix Coyotes season was their eighth season in the National Hockey League, the franchise's 25th season in the NHL and 32nd overall.


2003–04 Phoenix Coyotes season, Regular season
Though the Coyotes finished last in their division (13th in the Conference), for a remarkable span in late December and early January, the team attracted the attention of the sports world, as goaltender Brian Boucher set an NHL record for consecutive shutouts. From December 31 to January 9, Boucher and the Coyotes recorded five consecutive shut-out victories, outscoring their opponents 18–0 during the span. The streak was broken on January 11 in a game against the visiting Atlanta Thrashers, when Randy Robitaille scored on Boucher at 6:16 of the first period. Boucher's streak lasted 332:01, surpassing Montreal Canadiens goaltender Bill Durnan's 1949 record by over 20 minutes.


2003–04 Phoenix Coyotes season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points         Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.


2003–04 Phoenix Coyotes season, Regular season, Final standings
Divisions: CE – Central, PA – Pacific, NW – Northwest


2003–04 Phoenix Coyotes season, Regular season, Final standings
P –  Clinched Presidents Trophy; Y –  Clinched Division; X –  Clinched Playoff spot


2003–04 Phoenix Coyotes season, Playoffs
For the second year in a row, the Coyotes failed to make the playoffs.


2003–04 Phoenix Coyotes season, Draft picks
Phoenix's draft picks at the 2003 NHL Entry Draft held at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tennessee.


2003–04 Phoenix Suns season
The 2003–04 NBA season was the 36th for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association. After advancing to the playoffs the previous season, the Suns started off to a disappointing start under head coach Frank Johnson. With the team at 8–13, team management elected to turn to assistant coach Mike D'Antoni to take over for Johnson. Under D'Antoni, the Suns would lose 40 of their next 61 games and miss the playoffs, finishing sixth in the Pacific division with a 29–53 regular season record, the first time since the 1987–88 season the Suns recorded 50 losses or more. The Suns played their home games at America West Arena.


2003–04 Phoenix Suns season
Before the halfway mark of the season, the Suns sent starting point guard Stephon Marbury along with Anfernee Hardaway to the New York Knicks for Antonio McDyess, and a lack of offense was felt the rest of the season. Marbury, a future All-Star, was replaced with rookie SG Leandro Barbosa, who only averaged eight points per game. The oft-injured Tom Gugliotta was released and signed as a free agent with the Utah Jazz.


2003–04 Phoenix Suns season
The Suns found the injury bug, with reigning Rookie of the Year Amar'e Stoudemire missing nearly 30 games (and the Suns his 20 points and nine rebounds per game). Power forward Shawn Marion did not repeat as an All-Star, despite ending the season averaging 19 points and 9.3 rebounds per game and finishing second in the league in steals per game. Joe Johnson had a breakthrough year in his third season NBA season, leading the league in minutes played and providing the Suns nearly 17 points a game.


2003–04 Phoenix Suns season
By trading Marbury, the Suns were without a point guard to lead an improving young core of Stoudemire, Marion, Johnson and Barbosa, all 25 years of age or younger. By shedding the injury-riddled Hardaway and Gugliotta, as well as Marbury, the Suns ended the season with a need for a club leader and money at their disposal. Following the season, McDyess signed as a free agent with the Detroit Pistons.


2003–04 Phoenix Suns season, Player statistics, Season
* - Stats with the Suns. + - Minimum 70 games played or 2000 minutes, 400 assists, 100 blocks, 1400 points. † - Minimum 300 field goals made. ^ - Minimum 55 three-pointers made. # - Minimum 125 free throws made.


2003–04 Pirveli Liga
2003–04 Pirveli Liga was the 15th season of the Georgian Pirveli Liga.


2003–04 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team
The 2003–04 Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2003–04 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by first year head coach Jamie Dixon, the Panthers finished with a record of 31–5 and made it to the second round of the 2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament where they lost to Oklahoma State.


2003–04 Pittsburgh Penguins season
The 2003–04 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the team's 37th season of play. For the third season in a row, the club placed last in the Atlantic Division and did not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs. In an 18-game losing streak, they went 0–17–1 (one overtime loss). In the first 62 games, they were 11–42–5–4 for 31 points. In their final 20 games, they were 12–5–3–0, ultimately finishing with a 23–47–8–4 record for a last place finish. Their record losing streak would not be matched until the 2020-21 season by the Buffalo Sabres.


2003–04 Pittsburgh Penguins season, Offseason
Head Coach Rick Kehoe resigned as coach during the off-season, where former team broadcaster Eddie Olczyk was hired as his replacement.


2003–04 Pittsburgh Penguins season, Regular season
The Penguins struggled defensively, finishing 30th overall in the NHL in goals allowed, with 303. They struggled in short-handed situations, allowing the most power-play goals in the League, with 84, and finishing 30th overall in penalty-kill percentage, at 77.24%. Furthermore, they allowed the most short-handed goals in the NHL, with 15.


2003–04 Pittsburgh Penguins season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points         Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.


2003–04 Pittsburgh Penguins season, Regular season, Final standings
Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast


2003–04 Pittsburgh Penguins season, Regular season, Final standings
Z –  Clinched Conference; Y –  Clinched Division; X –  Clinched Playoff spot


2003–04 Pittsburgh Penguins season, Player statistics
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Penguins. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only. ‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.


2003–04 Pittsburgh Penguins season, Awards and records
The team also set the NHL record for longest home losing streak, with 14 home losses.


2003–04 Pittsburgh Penguins season, Transactions
The Penguins were involved in the following transactions during the 2003–04 season:


2003–04 Pittsburgh Penguins season, Draft picks
Pittsburgh had 11 picks in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.


2003–04 Pittsburgh Penguins season, Farm teams
The AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins finished third in the East Division with a 34–28–10–8 record. They defeated the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Philadelphia Phantoms and the Hartford Wolf Pack to win the Richard F. Canning Trophy as Eastern Conference Champions. They were swept by the Milwaukee Admirals in the Calder Cup Finals.


2003–04 Pittsburgh Penguins season, Farm teams
The ECHL's Wheeling Nailers won the Northern Division and the Eastern Conference with a record of 51–17–4. They lost to the Reading Royals in the first round of the playoffs. Pat Bingham won the John Brophy Award as the ECHL's coach of the year.


2003–04 Plymouth Argyle F.C. season
The 2003/04 football season saw Plymouth Argyle regain a place in the second tier of English football for the first time in twelve seasons, Along the way to capturing the Division Two championship they accumulated 90 league points, 21 clean sheets and a club record of seven straight clean sheets whilst also losing arguably the most successful manager in recent history in Paul Sturrock to Southampton F.C.


2003–04 Plymouth Argyle F.C. season, Players, First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Plymouth Argyle F.C. season, Players, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Polish Volleyball League
2003–04 Polish Volleyball League was the 68th season of Polish Championship (4th season as professional league) organized by Professional Volleyball League SA (Polish: Profesjonalna Liga Piłki Siatkowej S.A.) under the supervision of Polish Volleyball Federation (Polish: Polski Związek Piłki Siatkowej).


2003–04 Polish Volleyball League
AZS Politechnika Warszawska and BBTS Bielsko-Biała were promoted to Polish Volleyball League in this season.


2003–04 Polish Volleyball League
In season 2003/2004 Mostostal-Azoty Kędzierzyn-Koźle and Pamapol AZS Częstochowa played in CEV Champions League, Skra Bełchatów and Jastrzębie Borynia played in CEV Challenge Cup.


2003–04 Polska Liga Hokejowa season
The 2003–04 Polska Liga Hokejowa season was the 69th season of the Polska Liga Hokejowa, the top level of ice hockey in Poland. Eight teams participated in the league, and Unia Oswiecim won the championship.


2003–04 Port Vale F.C. season
The 2003–04 season was Port Vale's 92nd season of football in the English Football League, and fourth successive season (41st overall) in the Second Division. Brian Horton resigned in February, and was replaced by Martin Foyle. Vale fought for promotion, but finished outside the play-off zone on goal difference. In the FA Cup, Vale narrowly avoided humiliation by beating non-league Ford United after the replay went to extra-time. However Vale exited at the Second Round with defeat to Conference club Scarborough, who also knocked the Vale out of the League Trophy at the First Round.


2003–04 Port Vale F.C. season
Vale also left the League Cup at the First Round stage. Stephen McPhee was Player of the Year and top-scorer with 27 goals, but he left the club at the end of the season to play abroad. Financial problems still hounded the club, and Chairman Bill Bratt was desperate to attract investment from fans, though he was unwilling to allow one person to have more than 50% of the club's shares.


2003–04 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Second Division
The pre-season saw Brian Horton bring in three key players on free transfers: George Pilkington (Everton); Jonny Brain (Newcastle United); and Austrian Andreas Lipa (Skoda Xanthi). Meanwhile, promising keeper Mark Goodlad began a lengthy period of time on the sidelines with injuries. Optimism surrounded the club, after the rebuilding of the new squad appeared to had finished after the break-up of the club's previous team due to financial troubles.


2003–04 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Second Division
The season opened with seven wins in eleven games, earning Brian Horton the Manager of the Month award. Though this was followed by a sequence of five defeats in eight games as the goals dried up, this run included a 5–1 thumping at home to Plymouth Argyle. In November, back-up keeper Dean Delany joined Macclesfield Town on a two-month loan. Vale then were in patchy form until March, though the side managed to do the double over Sheffield Wednesday. Brian Horton resigned in February, with the club in the play-offs.


2003–04 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Second Division
His replacement was former Vale legend Martin Foyle, whose only previous experience was in the club's youth set-up. As his assistant he appointed former teammate, Dean Glover, another club legend. In March, Foyle made his first signing, bringing defender Craig James on loan from Sunderland, and after a few weeks he signed him permanently. Mark Boyd headed out of the club however, and was allowed to sign with Carlisle United. Vale lost just two of their final twelve games, and ran close to a play-off place, only losing out due to their inferior goal difference.


2003–04 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Second Division
They finished in seventh place with 73 points. They were level on points with Hartlepool United and Swindon Town, but finished outside of the play-off zone due to their inferior goal difference. Stephen McPhee scored 27 goals to become the club's top-scorer, the highest tally since Andy Jones hit 37 in 1986–87. Other major contributions came from Billy Paynter (14), Steve Brooker (8), Marc Bridge-Wilkinson (7) and Adrian Littlejohn (7).


2003–04 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Second Division
At the end of the season several players left the club: Neil Brisco (Rochdale); Liam Burns (Bristol Rovers); Adrian Littlejohn (Lincoln City); and Dean Delany (Shelbourne). Stephen McPhee also decided to leave the club, and though Chairman Bill Bratt had rejected offers of £100,000 for the player, McPhee exploited a loophole in his contract to join Portuguese side Beira-Mar. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson also turned down a new lower-paying contract, and instead signed with Stockport County. Player-coach Ian Brightwell also left Vale Park, having lost his assistant manager role to Glover, and joined Horton at Macclesfield Town. One boost was that Billy Paynter and George Pilkington put pen to paper on new long-term deals.


2003–04 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Finances
Peter Walker was appointed as Chief Executive in August 2003, having volunteered to work for free for six months. One feature of the season proved to be the long-running courtroom battle between former chairman Bill Bell and owners Valiant2001 over unpaid rent on the club shop. The club's finances were still worrying for supporters, though the problem appeared to have eased by the end of the season.


2003–04 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Finances
In December, a Peter Jackson led consortium put a £150,000 investment into the club, which Bratt said "...ensures the future of the club is safe". The club also rejected other investment proposals from confidential sources. Vice-chairman Charles Machin recommended the board sell the club to Italian businessman Gianni Paladini for £530,000, but the board disagreed. In March 2004, Machin and director Geoff Wakefield were voted off the board, as the 'Jackson Five' clique elected Peter Jackson and Stan Meigh in their place. Machin said that "I will not go away. I will haunt the corridors of power like Marley's ghost". However he was never elected back onto the board.


2003–04 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Cup competitions
In the FA Cup, Vale risked humiliation in a 2–2 draw with non-league Ford United at Vale Park. In the replay, Vale had led 1–0 before a last minute equalizer took the game into extra time. Despite having substitute Ian Armstrong's sent off, the "Valiants" escaped the lottery of the penalty shoot-out when on 114 minutes Ford scored an own goal. However, in the Second Round they were still eliminated by a non-league club, when Scarborough's Ashley Sestanovich scored an 80th-minute winner at Vale Park. This meant Scarborough knocked Vale out of the second competition of the season despite playing two leagues below the Vale.


2003–04 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Cup competitions
In the League Cup, Vale faced First Division Nottingham Forest. They held Forest to a goalless draw, but were eliminated 3–2 in the subsequent penalty shoot-out.


2003–04 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Cup competitions
In the League Trophy, Vale travelled to the McCain Stadium, where they were defeated 2–1 by Conference club Scarborough.


2003–04 Portland Trail Blazers season
The 2003–04 NBA season was the 34th season for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association. After years of off the court troubles and playoff underachieving, the Blazers under new General Manager John Nash, decided to rebuild. Throughout the season, the Blazers dealt away talented but troubled stars like trading Bonzi Wells, after losing his co-captain title, to the Memphis Grizzlies in November, and trading Rasheed Wallace to the Atlanta Hawks for Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Theo Ratliff in February.


2003–04 Portland Trail Blazers season
However, after appearing in only one game with the Hawks, Sheed was again traded to the Detroit Pistons for the rest of the season. The Pistons would eventually win the NBA Finals of that year, giving Wallace his first championship. The team also sent Jeff McInnis to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Miles.


2003–04 Portland Trail Blazers season
Taking up the slack was Zach Randolph, who led the team in scoring and rebounding, and was named Most Improved Player of The Year. However, the Blazers finished third in the Pacific Division with a 41–41 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since the 1981–82 season, a 21-year streak that was second-longest in NBA history. Following the season, Dale Davis was traded to the Golden State Warriors.


2003–04 Portsmouth F.C. season
During the 2003–04 English football season, Portsmouth F.C. competed in the Premier League. It was their first ever season in the Premiership and the first in English football's top flight since the 1987–88 season.


2003–04 Portsmouth F.C. season, Season summary
Portsmouth's Premiership debut (and only their second top division campaign during the last 45 years) was a fine one, as they finished 13th and established Fratton Park as one of the hardest Premiership grounds to get a result at. Only their dismal away form (with only two away wins all season) prevented them from finishing even higher and challenging for a European place, but it was still a very good season for the only newly promoted side to preserve their Premiership status.


2003–04 Portsmouth F.C. season, Season summary
After a good start to the season which saw Portsmouth top of the Premiership after three games, the team slumped into the relegation zone, but rallied and only lost one of their last ten matches to finish 13th - ahead of more established sides like Everton, Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur. To their credit, they were one of the only two teams to remain unbeaten against Arsenal's "Invincibles" in the league during the season.


2003–04 Portsmouth F.C. season, Kit
Portsmouth introduced a new kit for the season, still manufactured under the club's own brand, Pompey Sport. ty remained the kit sponsors.


2003–04 Portsmouth F.C. season, Players, First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Portsmouth F.C. season, Players, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Portsmouth F.C. season, Players, Reserve squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Powergen Cup
The 2003–04 Powergen Cup was the 33rd edition of England's rugby union club competition. Newcastle Falcons won the competition defeating Sale Sharks in the final. The event was sponsored by Powergen and the final was held at Twickenham Stadium.


2003–04 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Statistics of Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 2003–2004 season.


2003–04 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Overview
It was contested by 16 teams, and NK Široki Brijeg won the championship.


2003–04 Premier Soccer League
The 2003–04 Premier Soccer League was won by Kaizer Chiefs.


2003–04 Premiership Rugby
The 2003-04 Zurich Premiership was the 17th season of the top flight of the English domestic rugby union competitions.


2003–04 Premiership Rugby
Rotherham were relegated after failing to win a single match all season.


2003–04 Premiership Rugby, Play-offs
As for the 2002–03 season, the first placed team automatically qualified for the final where they played the winner of the second vs third place semi-final.


2003–04 Premiership Rugby, Zurich Wildcard
The Zurich Wildcard was contested by the teams placed fourth through seventh in the final table.


2003–04 Premiership Rugby, Zurich Wildcard, Semi finals
Despite winning this match, Gloucester forfeited their place in the final as English teams were awarded an additional Heineken Cup qualification place due to London Wasps winning the 2003–04 Heineken Cup. This additional place was awarded to Gloucester as the next highest placed team in the league not automatically qualified.


2003–04 Premiership Rugby, Leading scorers
Note: Flags to the left of player names indicate national team as has been defined under World Rugby eligibility rules, or primary nationality for players who have not earned international senior caps. Players may hold one or more non-WR nationalities.


2003–04 Preston North End F.C. season
The 2003–04 season saw Preston North End compete in the Football League First Division where they finished in 15th position with 59 points.


2003–04 Primeira Liga
The 2003–04 Primeira Liga was the 70th edition of top flight of Portuguese football. It started 16 August 2003 with an opening game between Académica de Coimbra and Sporting Clube de Portugal, and ended on 9 May 2004. It was contested by 18 teams. FC Porto were the defending champions and became champions again, winning the Portuguese title in two consecutive seasons.


2003–04 Primeira Liga
The first goal of the season was scored by Académica's Filipe Alvim in the opening game against Sporting CP. The first red card of the season was given to Paços de Ferreira's Portuguese midfielder Pedrinha in the 3rd game of the season against Nacional and the first yellow card was given to Sporting's Portuguese midfielder Custódio in the opening game of the season. Porto's Benni McCarthy was the top scorer of the season, scoring 20 goals.


2003–04 Primeira Liga
Porto qualified for the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League group stage, along with Benfica, who qualified for the third round. Sporting, Nacional, Braga and Marítimo qualified for the 2004–05 UEFA Cup; in opposite, Alverca, Paços de Ferreira and Estrela da Amadora were relegated to the Segunda Liga.


2003–04 Primeira Liga, Promotion and relegation
Varzim, Santa Clara, and Vitória de Setúbal were consigned to the Liga de Honra following their final classification in 2002–03 season.


2003–04 Primeira Liga, Promotion and relegation
The other three teams were replaced by Rio Ave, Alverca, Estrela da Amadora from Segunda Liga.


2003–04 Primeira Liga, Awards, Annual awards
The Portuguese Silver Boot award was won by the South African Benni McCarthy of Porto, by scoring 20 goals.


2003–04 Primera B Nacional
The 2003–04 Argentine Primera B Nacional was the 18th season of second division professional football in Argentina. A total of 20 teams competed; the champion and runner-up were promoted to Argentine Primera División.


2003–04 Primera B Nacional, Promotion playoff
This leg was played between the Apertura Winner: Instituto, and the Clausura Winner: Almagro. The winning team was declared champion and was automatically promoted to 2004–05 Primera División and the losing team played the Second Promotion Playoff.


2003–04 Primera B Nacional, Second Promotion Playoff
This leg was played by Almagro, the losing team of the Promotion Playoff, and Huracán (TA), who was the best team in the overall standings. The winning team was promoted to 2004–05 Primera División and the losing team played the Promotion Playoff Primera División-Primera B Nacional.


2003–04 Primera B Nacional, Torneo Reducido
It was played by the teams placed 3rd and 5th, in the Overall Standings: Argentinos Juniors (3rd) and Godoy Cruz (5th). The winning team played the Promotion Playoff Primera División-Primera B Nacional.


2003–04 Primera B Nacional, Promotion playoff Primera División-Primera B Nacional
The Second Promotion playoff loser (Huracán (TA)) and the Torneo Reducido Winner (Argentinos Juniors) played against the 18th and the 17th placed of the Relegation Table of 2003–04 Primera División.


2003–04 Primera B Nacional, Relegation
Note: Clubs with indirect affiliation with AFA are relegated to the Torneo Argentino A, while clubs directly affiliated face relegation to Primera B Metropolitana. Clubs with direct affiliation are all from Greater Buenos Aires, with the exception of Newell's, Rosario Central, Central Córdoba and Argentino de Rosario, all from Rosario, and Unión and Colón from Santa Fe.


2003–04 Primera Divisió, Overview
It was contested by 8 teams, and FC Santa Coloma won the championship.


2003–04 Primera División A season
Primera División A (Méxican First A Division) is a Mexican football tournament. This season was composed of Apertura 2003 and Clausura 2004. Dorados de Sinaloa was the winner of the promotion to First Division after winning León in the promotion playoff. '


2003–04 Primera División A season, Promotion final
The promotion final faced Dorados against León to determine the winner of the First Division Promotion. Dorados was the winner.


2003–04 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team
The 2003–04 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team represented Princeton University in intercollegiate college basketball during the 2003–04 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was John Thompson III and the team captains were Ed Persia and Judson Wallace. The team played its home games in the Jadwin Gymnasium on the University campus in Princeton, New Jersey, and was the champion of the Ivy League, which earned them an invitation to the 65-team 2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament where they were seeded fourteenth in the Atlanta Region. Following the season Thompson departed to coach Georgetown where his father John Thompson, Jr. had coached for decades. He was replaced by Joe Scott. Both Scott and the younger Thompson are former Princeton Tigers basketball captains.


2003–04 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team
Using the Princeton offense, the team posted a 20–8 overall record and a 13–1 conference record. Princeton clinched the Ivy League title on March 6, 2004 at Dartmouth, making the March 9 annual Ivy League season finale contest against Penn meaningless. Nonetheless, the Tigers defeated Penn 76–70 in overtime giving them a nine-game winning streak as they entered the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament. In its March 18, 2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Atlanta Regional first-round game against the Brandon Mouton-led Texas Longhorns at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado the team lost by a 66–49 margin.


2003–04 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team
The team was led by first team All-Ivy League selections Will Venable and Judson Wallace.


2003–04 Providence Friars men's basketball team
The 2003–04 Providence Friars men's basketball team represented Providence College in the Big East Conference. The team finished with an 11–5 conference record and a 20–9 record overall.


2003–04 Providence Friars men's basketball team
Coming off an 18–14 record and a second-round NIT loss in 2002–03, the team returned all five starters for coach Tim Welsh's sixth season with the Friars. However, forward Romuald Augustin transferred to Bryant College for his fifth year of eligibility, while walk-on guard Chris Burns also transferred to Bryant for his sophomore season. The team also lost two departing seniors, guard Kareem Hayletts and forward Stephen Traugott. On February 24, after playing in 12 games for the Friars, senior forward Māris Ļaksa left the team to play professional basketball in Slovenia.


2003–04 Providence Friars men's basketball team
The Friars began the season receiving votes in both polls, but not ranked in either. Following an 8–1 start that included a win over #14 Illinois, the Friars earned a #25 ranking in the AP Poll in time for their January 5 matchup with #18 Texas. The Friars took the Longhorns to overtime, but as time expired in the overtime period, Texas forward P. J. Tucker released a layup to give the Longhorns a two-point win. The controversial shot was reviewed for more than five minutes by the officials, who determined that the clock read "0.00" but the red backboard light had not yet gone off when the ball was released, which at the time overruled the clock.


2003–04 Providence Friars men's basketball team
Despite the close loss, the Friars re-emerged in the top 25 three weeks later, following a road win over #4 Connecticut. A six-game winning streak that began with a win over #18 Syracuse propelled the Friars to a #12 ranking in the AP Poll on March 1. This was followed by two home losses to close out the regular season, and a #3 seed in the 2004 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament. Following a first-round bye, the Friars dropped a three-point game to Villanova in the quarterfinals, leading to a #5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. In the first round, the Friars were defeated 66–58 by the #12 seed, Pacific. The Friars ended the season with a #21 ranking in the AP Poll.


2003–04 Providence Friars men's basketball team
The Friars were led in scoring (18.9 ppg) and rebounding (9.4 rpg) by junior forward Ryan Gomes. He became the fourth Friar to be named a First Team All-American by the Associated Press.


2003–04 QMJHL season
The 2003–04 QMJHL season was the 35th season in the history of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The league continued to expand to new eastern markets, with teams relocating to Maine and Prince Edward Island. Conferences were abandoned and teams were divided into three divisions by geography. Sixteen teams played 70 games each in the schedule.


2003–04 QMJHL season
The Lewiston Maineiacs became the league's second American-based team in history after the Plattsburgh Pioneers, and first to survive a full season. The P.E.I. Rocket also became the first major junior hockey team based on Prince Edward Island.


2003–04 QMJHL season
Rookie Sidney Crosby led the league in scoring as a 16-year-old, and won the Michel Brière Memorial Trophy as the MVP of the regular season.


2003–04 QMJHL season
The Gatineau Olympiques finished first overall in the regular season winning their fourth Jean Rougeau Trophy, and also won their sixth President's Cup, defeating the Moncton Wildcats in the finals.


2003–04 QMJHL season, Final standings
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OL = Overtime loss; PTS = Points; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against


2003–04 QMJHL season, Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes


2003–04 QMJHL season, Canada-Russia Challenge
The 2003–04 season was the first time the Canada-Russia challenge was played. The event, then known as the RE/MAX Canada-Russia Challenge was hosted by the Halifax Mooseheads and the Rimouski Océanic. On November 20, 2003, the Russian Selects defeated the QMJHL All-stars 3–2 at the Halifax Metro Centre. On November 24, 2003, the QMJHL All-stars defeated the Russian Selects 6–2 at Colisée de Rimouski.


2003–04 QMJHL season, Playoffs
Each regular season division winner received a first round bye, and ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd overall. Remaining teams were ranked 4th to 13th, regardless of division.


2003–04 QMJHL season, Playoffs
Maxime Talbot was the leading scorer of the playoffs with 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists).


2003–04 QSPHL season
The 2003–04 QSPHL season was the eighth season of the Quebec Semi-Pro Hockey League, a minor professional league in the Canadian province of Quebec. 14 teams participated in the regular season, and the Dragons de Verdun won the league title.


2003–04 Qatar Stars League, Overview
It was contested by 10 teams, and Al-Sadd Sports Club won the championship.


2003–04 Queens Park Rangers F.C. season
During the 2003–04 English football season, Queens Park Rangers competed in the Football League Second Division.


2003–04 Queens Park Rangers F.C. season, Season summary
After 3 seasons in English football's third tier, QPR secured a return to the second division with a second-placed finish.


2003–04 Queens Park Rangers F.C. season, Players, First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Queens Park Rangers F.C. season, Players, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 R.S.C. Anderlecht season
During the 2003–04 season, R.S.C. Anderlecht participated in the Belgian First Division.


2003–04 R.S.C. Anderlecht season, Season summary
Anderlecht won the title for the first time in three seasons. They had held a big lead over their title rivals Club Brugge for some time, but a bad finish from Anderlecht kept the suspense until the 31st matchday, when Club Brugge drew with Mouscron while the team from Brussels also drew (1-1) at Lierse to confirm their title.


2003–04 R.S.C. Anderlecht season, First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 R.S.C. Anderlecht season, First-team squad, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 RK Zamet season
The 2003–04 season was the 47th season in RK Zamet’s history. It is their 3rd successive season in the 1.HRL, and 27th successive top tier season.


2003–04 Radivoj Korać Cup
The 2004 Radivoj Korać Cup was the second season of the Serbian-Montenegrin men's national basketball cup tournament. The Žućko's left trophy awarded to the winner Crvena zvezda from Belgrade.


2003–04 Rangers F.C. season
The 2003–04 season was the 124th season of competitive football by Rangers.


2003–04 Rangers F.C. season, Overview
Rangers played a total of 52 competitive matches during the 2003–04 season. The season ended trophyless. Due to the club's financial situation they had to resort to selling many top players. These included Barry Ferguson, Lorenzo Amoruso and Neil McCann, they also released high earners Arthur Numan and Bert Konterman.


2003–04 Rangers F.C. season, Overview
Despite starting the season well with seven consecutive wins and topping the table, a 1–0 loss at home to Celtic in October saw Rangers season unravel. Inconsistent form and three old firm derby defeats saw Rangers fall behind Celtic in the title race and ended up finishing 17 points off top spot.


2003–04 Rangers F.C. season, Overview
The Scottish Cup campaign ended in the third round after a 1–0 defeat to Celtic. The League Cup campaign also ended in defeat at the semi-final stage to Hibernian at Hampden Park, 4–3 on penalties.


2003–04 Rangers F.C. season, Overview
In Europe Rangers managed to qualify for the group stages of the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League with a win over F.C. Copenhagen in the third qualifying round. They were drawn in the group stages alongside English Champions Manchester United, Stuttgart and Panathinaikos. Despite earning 4 points from the first two matches Rangers were to finish bottom of the group.


2003–04 Rangers F.C. season, Matches, League Cup
Last updated: 8 December 2014Source:1Rangers goals come first.National flags for Ground and Opponent columns are only shown when different from that of Rangers.M = Match; Ground: H = Home, A = Away, N = Neutral, HR = Home replacement, AR = Away replacement.


2003–04 Ranji Trophy
The 2003–04 Ranji Trophy was the 70th season of the Ranji Trophy. Mumbai defeated Tamil Nadu on first innings lead. Maharashtra won the Plate division title.


2003–04 Ranji Trophy
Wasim Jaffer of Mumbai took 23 catches in nine matches which is the record for most catches in a season by a fielder.


2003–04 Reading F.C. season
The 2003–04 season was Reading's second consecutive season in the First Division, after promotion from the Second Division in 2002.


2003–04 Reading F.C. season, Squad, First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Reading F.C. season, Squad, Reserve/Academy squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Reading F.C. season, Squad, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Reading F.C. season, Team kit
Reading's kit for the 2003–04 was manufactured by Kit@, and the main sponsor was .


2003–04 Real Betis season
During the 2003–04, Betis finished ninth in the La Liga.


2003–04 Real Betis season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Real Madrid CF season
The 2003–04 season was Real Madrid C.F. 's 73rd season in La Liga. This article shows statistics of the club's players in the season, and also lists all matches that the club played in the 2003–04 season. It was the last time that Real Madrid finished below second place until 2013–14 season. The club played the season wearing their classic white home and teal blue away kits.


2003–04 Real Madrid CF season, Season summary
In spite of the arduous pre-season, the team got off to a good start to the season. They won the Supercopa de España against Mallorca with a 3–0 victory on 27 August in the second leg. By the time half the season had passed, the team topped the league table and was still in contention for the Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League trophies. However, the team was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Champions League by Monaco, and finished as runners-up in the domestic cup. They also lost their final five La Liga matches and finished in fourth place, which gave Valencia the title.


2003–04 Real Madrid CF season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Real Madrid CF season, Squad, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Real Madrid CF season, Pre-season
The team embarked on a summer tour in Asia, for 18 days, to cash in on the worldwide appeal of their new signing, David Beckham. It included exhibition matches in Beijing, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Bangkok, which alone earned the club €10 million. This was compared by popular contrary with the tour with the first visit of The Beatles to the United States in 1964. Although lucrative and generating wide publicity, the preparation value of the Asia was questionable, considering that the long 2003–04 season which lay ahead.


2003–04 Real Madrid CF season, Pre-season
It was exhausting for the players, due to endless rounds of publicity engagements and restrictions on the players' freedom of movement (due to the team hotel being besieged by fans). Most players admitted that they would have preferred a low-profile training camp and/or to have been home in Spain for the pre-season, instead of playing meaningless show matches against low quality opponents. The Asia tour has been said to have catered more to the needs of the club's marketing than to its players' preparations.


2003–04 Red Star Belgrade season
During the 2003–04 season, Red Star Belgrade participated in the 2003–04 First League of Serbia and Montenegro, 2003–04 Serbia and Montenegro Cup and 2003–04 UEFA Cup.


2003–04 Red Stripe Bowl
The 2003–04 Red Stripe Bowl was the 30th edition of what is now the Regional Super50, the domestic limited-overs cricket competition for the countries of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). It ran from 1 to 19 October 2003, with matches played in Antigua and Barbuda and Jamaica.


2003–04 Red Stripe Bowl
Ten teams contested the competition, divided into two groups of five. For a third consecutive season, Antigua and Barbuda entered as a separate team, with the remaining Leeward Islands players competing for a "Rest of Leeward Islands" team. A University of the West Indies team entered for the second and final time, while the West Indies under-19s competed for the first time. Canada were invited as the sole international guest team. The semi-finals and final of the competition were all held in Discovery Bay, Jamaica, with Guyana eventually defeating Barbados in the final to win their eighth domestic one-day title. Guyanese batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan led the tournament in runs, while four bowlers (Dinanath Ramnarine, Pedro Collins, Ian Bradshaw, and Mahendra Nagamootoo) were the joint leading wicket-takers.


2003–04 Red Stripe Bowl, Statistics, Most runs
The top five run scorers (total runs) are included in this table.


2003–04 Red Stripe Bowl, Statistics, Most wickets
The top five wicket takers are listed in this table, listed by wickets taken and then by bowling average.


2003–04 Reggina Calcio season
Reggina Calcio did renew its Serie A contract on the second consecutive occasion, ensuring the longest stay of the Calabrian club in the top division of Italian football. With returning coach Franco Colomba not being successful in his third stay at the club, Giancarlo Camolese guided the side to 13th place in the league. With only 29 goals scored, Reggina relied heavily on its defence for the survival, and Martin Jiránek plus defensive midfielder Davide Baiocco strengthened their reputations. After the season, Baiocco returned to Juventus, who in turn loaned him out to Reggina's arch-rivals Messina, newcomers for the 2004–05 season, setting up the first Messina strait derby in the highest division ever.


2003–04 Regionalliga
The 2003–04 Regionalliga season was the tenth season of the Regionalliga tier three of the German football league system. It was contested in two geographical divisions with eighteen teams each. The competition began on 1 August 2003 with the first matches of each division and ended on the 5 June 2004.


2003–04 Rochdale A.F.C. season
The 2003–04 Rochdale A.F.C. season was the club's 83rd season in the Football League, and the 30th consecutive season in the fourth tier (League Division Three). Rochdale finished the season in 21st place.


2003–04 Romanian Hockey League season
The 2003–04 Romanian Hockey League season was the 74th season of the Romanian Hockey League. Five teams participated in the league, and SC Miecurea Ciuc won the championship.


2003–04 Rotherham United F.C. season
During the 2003–04 season, Rotherham United participated in the Football League First Division.


2003–04 Rotherham United F.C. season, Season summary
Rotherham slumped somewhat following last season's comfortable midtable finish and ended the season in 17th, three points from the relegation zone.


2003–04 Rotherham United F.C. season, First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Rotherham United F.C. season, First-team squad, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2003–04 Rugby Pro D2 season
The 2003–04 Rugby Pro D2 season was the 2003–04 second division of French club rugby union. There is promotion and relegation in Pro Rugby D2, and after the 2003–04 season, Bayonne and FC Auch finished at the top of the table and were promoted to the top level, and Bordeaux-Bègles were relegated to third division.


2003–04 Rugby Union County Championship
The 2003–04 Tetley's Bitter Rugby Union County Championship was the 104th edition of England's County Championship rugby union club competition.


2003–04 Rugby Union County Championship
Devon won their eighth title after defeating Gloucestershire in the final.


2003–04 Russian Superleague season
The 2003–04 Russian Superleague season was the eighth season of the Russian Superleague, the top level of ice hockey in Russia. 16 teams participated in the league, and HC Avangard Omsk won the championship.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season
The 2003–04 season was Sport Lisboa e Benfica's 100th season in existence and the club's 70th consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football. It ran from 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2004. Benfica competed domestically in the Primeira Liga and the Taça de Portugal. The club also participated in the UEFA Champions League as a result of finishing second in the Primeira Liga in the previous season.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season
After José Antonio Camacho led Benfica to second place, the club offered him a new two-year contract as manager in June. As a condition to renewing the contract, Camacho requested that the club sign more established players, but budget restraints allowed for limited investment. After several unsuccessful player bids, Benfica added Luisão to the squad and re-signed Geovanni in August. Because their second-place finish only granted a berth in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, Benfica had to play Lazio for a spot in the group stage. They lost both legs and were relegated to the UEFA Cup.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season
Domestically, Benfica began the league campaign with five points in four games, losing ground in the league race. They improved in subsequent games, but dropped points two more times, including at the official opening of the new Estádio da Luz. January was a difficult month for Benfica as they lost the Derby de Lisboa with Sporting, and on 25 January witnessed the death of club player—Miklós Fehér—in the middle of a game. In February and March, the team fluctuated between winning and losing streaks, including knocking out Rosenborg and losing to Inter Milan in the UEFA Cup.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season
In the final two months, Benfica unexpectedly recovered six points against Sporting, overtaking them to finish second and qualify for the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League. The club also reached the Portuguese Cup Final for the first time in eight years. Benfica beat Porto in extra-time to win their 24th Cup, which they dedicated to Fehér.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, Pre-season
In the aftermath of their best league finish since 1997–98, Benfica negotiated a one-year extension to Camacho's contract, which had been set to expire on 30 June. As a condition to agreeing to stay, he wanted several problems related to the technical staff, training fields and signings to be solved. On 23 June, Camacho agreed to remain as manager, with Pepe Carcelén and Álvaro Magalhães assisting him. In his presentation, he confessed that the club's limited finances would make it harder to sign players; he also said that Benfica would give their best but did not expect to dethrone Porto.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, Pre-season
Benfica inquired after Helton, and Ricardo to compete with José Moreira for the goalkeeper position. Over the course of two weeks, the club negotiated unsuccessfully with the latter and ultimately chose to stay with Moreira. The club also looked into strengthen their options at centre and at left-back, negotiating unsuccessfully with Ânderson Polga, Atouba and Júnior. Despite these failed negotiations, Benfica added Luisão, and re-signed Geovanni; both would be regular starters throughout the season.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, Pre-season
With Portugal in seventh place in the UEFA coefficient and because only the first six had their league runner-up drawn directly into the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, Benfica had to go through a qualifying round, and were paired with Lazio on the draw of 26 July. The first match was scheduled for 13 August at Stadio Olimpico and the return leg, on the 26 August, at the Estádio do Bessa, due to Estádio Nacional's inability to receive European games. The team began their season preparations on 5 July, with two days reserved for medicals.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, Pre-season
After a week and a half of training sessions on Jerez de la Frontera, they travelled to Nyon on 16 July, for a seven-day tour. In Switzerland, they played Panathinaikos and Sporting, with different results, a loss with the Greeks and a win with Sporting. Back in Portugal, Benfica competed in two tournaments, first at the Guadiana Trophy with Belenenses, and later at the Centenarian Trophy with Boavista and Leixões. The team ended their pre-season with a match against Moreirense. Although Camacho initially doubted the team's chances in the title race, in August he said that the team "was stronger than last year, due to the added time together", and that they would fight for the title.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, August–September
Benfica played their first competitive game of the season against Lazio in Rome and lost 3–1. This reduced their hopes of reaching the group stage of the Champions League, as Camacho said: "Lazio were supposed to do more tonight to win this game. Benfica helped them by committing some mistakes, mainly due to our lack of experience. We have complicated our lives in view of the second-leg match.". The third goal from Lazio, scored by Mihajlović, came from a Roger's foul after touching the ball with his hands; Camacho openly criticized Roger for the incident.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, August–September
On the 17th, Benfica began their league campaign away to Boavista. Their last win there was on 30 March 1996, eight seasons ago. The game ended as a goalless draw, with Camacho criticizing the referee for the excessive number of interruptions. On the following Saturday, Benfica defeated Vitória de Guimarães at home, in a 2–0 win, which Camacho admitted to be flattering in comparison with the team performance.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, August–September
Two days later, the club announced they were postponing their third match day from 31 August to 29 October, because of Académica's desire to play that game at the newly renovated Estádio Cidade de Coimbra. On the 27th, Benfica lost one-nil to Lazio, and were knocked out of the Champions League. Because of the financial loss from the elimination, the club was unable to invest further in squad; the team closed the transfer window with only Alex and Luisão as new signings.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, August–September
Benfica's first match in September was on the 14th against Belenenses. Despite leading the game with 90 minutes played, Benfica allowed the visitors to score two goals in extra time to draw the match 3–3. Camacho took responsibility for the goals in extra-time, admitting the team needed to be smarter and waste time. The next match was the Clássico away on the 21st; Porto had a five-point lead in the league table, although Benfica had played one less game. Porto won 2–0.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, August–September
Camacho complained of bad luck: "What happened was that one team entered the game to dominate, achieved some control, but it was the other team who scored. What matters in football is goals, and Porto scored, while we did not." Three days later, Benfica started their UEFA Cup campaign against La Louvière, a Belgian team that António Simões described as "easy". The game ended in a 1–1 draw, with Camacho dismissing the idea that it was a bad result, saying that an away draw in a European competition was still a satisfying outcome. On the 28th, Benfica closed the month with a home win against Nacional, with Tiago scoring the only goal. Despite the fans whistling the team, Camacho was pleased with the performance, noting the opportunities the team had to double the lead.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, October–November
The first match in October was on the 4th; it was an away match at Parque de Jogos, Moreirense's home ground. Benfica won 4–1, which was their largest win all season. Camacho attributed the team's success to an improvement in the conversion rate of the attacking line. After a break for international matches, Benfica returned with the second leg of the UEFA Cup on the 15th. They dominated the match, and only a strong performance from Silvio Proto allowed the Belgians to leave with only a goal conceded.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, October–November
Two days later, Benfica announced they were rescheduling the game against Marítimo from 25 October to 12 November, due to the opening game of the new Estádio da Luz on the same day. On 19 October, Benfica ended their six-month spell at Estádio Nacional with a match against Gil Vicente. Benfica scored first but Gil Vicente equalized three minutes later, unsettling the home side. In the second half, Simão scored the winning goal for Benfica. Camacho acknowledged that Benfica struggled after conceding Gil Vicente's goal, adding that it was a normal behaviour in football.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, October–November
On the 25th, Benfica opened its brand new Estádio da Luz, attracting a sell-out crowd against Nacional Montevideo. Benfica won 2–1, with Nuno Gomes scoring twice. On the following Wednesday, Benfica opened the redeveloped Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, in a game transferred from August. Simão put on a man of the match performance, leading the team to a 3–1 win to Académica.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, October–November
Benfica started November by hosting Beira-Mar on the 2nd in the official opening of their new stadium. Beira-Mar won 2–1, inflicting Benfica's second league defeat, which opened an 11-point gap to Porto. Camacho blamed the defeat on the lack of goal opportunities. Four days later, Benfica received Molde for the UEFA Cup, beating them 3–1 and assuring a two-goal lead for the second leg. Camacho recognized the team was struggling to defend against corner-kicks, as both Beira-Mar and Molde had scored in corners.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, October–November
On 9 November, the team visited Alverca and won three-nil, with two goals from Tiago and one from Geovanni. Camacho was pleased with the performance, but said that Benfica should have scored more. On 12 November, Benfica played Marítimo, in a fixture transferred from October. Weakened by injuries in some of the regular players, Benfica could not do better than a one-all draw. Camacho attributed the result to the excessive number of games in short amount of time, something most of the players were not accustomed to.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, October–November
After a 10-day international break, Benfica opened the Portuguese Cup campaign against Estrela da Amadora on the 22nd. They won 3–1 with all of the goals arriving late in the game. Benfica closed the month with a 2–0 win to Molde, on the second leg of the UEFA Cup, with Tiago again scoring twice.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, December–January
On 1 December, Benfica won its first league match in their new stadium, beating Rio Ave by 2–0. After the match, Camacho defended his team to the press by saying "Eusébio's team is gone." A week later, the team defeated Paços de Ferreira away, with João Pereira scoring two goals. Because Porto had lost points, Benfica were now only six points from the top of the league. On the 13th, Benfica won their fifth match in a row, beating Braga at home.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, December–January
After the game, Camacho angrily refuted any idea that Benfica did not play accordingly to expectations: "A poor performance? That's not what I saw. In football there are two teams. Everyone knows that, against Benfica, all teams give their best, and we suffer that in the first half, because Braga played like every other team here. It is like the story of the bottle, for the optimist it is half full; for the pessimist, it is half empty." On the same day, they were drawn with Rosenborg in the upcoming round of the UEFA Cup.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, December–January
The following Wednesday, Benfica progressed through the fifth round of the Portuguese Cup, with Luisão scoring a single goal in an away win against Académica. The final game of the month came on the 21st, with a 3–0 win to Estrela da Amadora. Two goals within the first ten minutes allowed the team to comfortably manage the remaining time. Camacho later said that Benfica could have scored six or seven goals. This was the team's seventh win in a row, the longest streak of consecutive wins in Camacho's time at Benfica.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, December–January
2004 opened with a Derby de Lisboa against Sporting on 4 January. Benfica conceded an early goal, after Moreira fouled Silva inside the box. Sporting added a second before half-time and closed the match with another converted penalty; winning 3–1 and increasing their lead over Benfica to four points. On 11 January, Benfica visited União de Leiria at the newly developed Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa. In a tightly contested match, Benfica fell behind twice and briefly led on the 80th minute. However, Leiria equalized within two minutes and the match ended in a 3–3 draw.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, December–January
With five points lost in two games, the distance to the top was again 11 points, with 6 to second place. The game also marked the debut of Fyssas, a 30-year-old left-back hired to compete with Cristiano. A week later, Benfica beat Boavista 3–2 with two goals from Sokota. At the press conference, Camacho criticized the media's behaviour after two weeks of intense pressure due to previous results. On 25 January, Benfica closed the month with an away game at Vitória de Guimarães. They won the game with a late goal, but the match was more remembered for the collapse and later death of Miklós Fehér, who suffered a cardiac arrhythmia brought on by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The day after his death, Benfica announced they were permanently retiring his shirt number.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, February–March
In the aftermath of Fehér's death, Benfica played at home to Académica on 3 February. Benfica scored first on the 27th minute with a goal from Zahovič, with Geovanni later making it 2–0. On the 8th, Benfica defeated Belenenses at Restelo, with two second half goals from Sokota and João Pereira. Camacho said the team had won the first of a cycle of three decisive matches. Three days later, Benfica played the quarter-finals of the Portuguese Cup against Nacional. After conceding on 22nd minute, the team spent over an hour trying to score.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, February–March
Tiago then scored in the 85th minute, with Sokota scoring Benfica's second a minute later. This put the team into the semi-final. On 15 February, Benfica received Porto for the second Clássico of the season. Porto scored first through Costinha, but Benfica levelled the match through Simão on the 50th minute, with the game ending in a 1–1 draw. Camacho expressed that the correct result should have been a win for Benfica, and that Porto had been lucky. A week later, Benfica met Nacional again, now on their home turf.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, February–March
After conceding an early goal, Benfica fought back to a 2–1 lead; only to allow Nacional to score two goals within two minutes and win the game. Because two goals had come from corner-kicks, Camacho was questioned if the centre-backs were at fault; which he answered: "We conceded three goals from set pieces, and that could not be the centre-backs' fault, because we defend them with 5 or 6 players – so they alone cannot be blamed." On the 26th, Benfica received Rosenborg in the UEFA Cup.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, February–March
While both teams had opportunities to open the score sheet in the first half, the winning goal arrived on the 61st minute when Zahovic released a powerful shot. The final game of February was on the 29th, with Benfica hosting Moreirense at Da Luz. Benfica scored first by Fernando Aguiar, but could not retain their lead and conceded a late goal from Demétrius. Although Sporting had a seven-point advantage, Camacho refused to admit defeat on the Champions League race, saying: "We have not lost the fight yet. ".


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, February–March
Benfica played the second leg of the UEFA Cup third round on 3 March. At the Lerkendal Stadion, Rosenborg scored two goals inside the first 15 minutes, but Benfica regained their aggregate lead with a goal on the 19th minute. Despite playing with a man less in the second half, Moreira was not beaten again and Benfica went through to the next round on away goals. On the 7th, the team visited Gil Vicente's home stadium. Benfica scored first with Geovanni, but squandered two chances to make it 2–0. Instead Gil Vicente were able to equalize.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, February–March
Camacho substituted in Manuel Fernandes and the 17-year-old scored the winning-goal for Benfica. Camacho praised the players for maintaining their commitment after an exhausting European game. On the following Thursday, Benfica hosted Inter Milan in the UEFA Cup. The team had multiple chances against Toldo but could not beat him, with the match ending 0–0. On 14 March, Benfica played host to Marítimo, beating them 1–0 with a goal by Simão in the 81st minute. On the 17th, Benfica hosted Belenenses for the Portuguese Cup semi-final.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, February–March
With three goals scored in the first 36 minutes, Benfica managed the lead until the end. They qualified for their first final since 1997. On 21 March, Benfica visited the new Municipal de Aveiro to face the local team, Beira-Mar. With the team resting players for the game with Inter, Camacho brought in Nuno Gomes and the striker scored the winning goal with 15 minutes left to play. The win reduced the gap to Sporting to just 4 points. Four days later, Benfica and Inter Milan had an entertaining seven-goal thriller in the second leg of the UEFA Cup.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, February–March
At half-time, the teams were level, but in the 10 minutes between the 60th and 70th minute, Inter scored three to Benfica's one, opening a two-goal cushion. Benfica later reduced the lead to 4–3, but this was insufficient to prevent an elimination. Benfica closed March on the 28th. Two early goals allowed the team to cruise past Alverca, bringing their win tally to five wins in eight games.


2003–04 S.L. Benfica season, Season summary, April–May
Benfica opened April in Vila do Conde with an away match against Rio Ave on Sunday 4 April. The home team opened the scoring in the second half and six minutes later Benfica equalized by Tiago. The game ended with a 1–1 draw, with Camacho admitting the team showed signs of fatigue. This draw also allowed Sporting to regain a six-point lead, with just five match-days to go. On 10 April, Benfica played Paços de Ferreira at home. Nuno Gomes and Geovanni both scored in the second half to give Benfica a 2–1 win.