Botafogo football club Rio

Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas, usually just called Botafogo, is in the Brazilian metropolis of Rio de Janeiro for Halle sports. It’s international reputation relates primarily to its football department. World stars such as Garrincha and Nilton Santos made the club, from the start of the second half of last century, famous and successful.

The association in the same quarter Botafogo Rio de Janeiro was founded, is one of the four major football clubs in the city and is one of the most traditional of Brazil. The readers of FIFA magazine, elected it among the big clubs of the 20th Century in December 2000 12th.

The big city rivals of Botafogos are Flamengo, Fluminense and Vasco da Gama. Among these clubs Botafogo has the smallest number of supporters and is considered a club of intellectuals. The club symbol is a white star on a black background. The team plays in black-white-striped shirts and black trousers.

History

The first headquarters of the Clube de Regatas

On 1st July 1894, the Clube de Regatas in the district of Botafogo was founded and soon became one of the most successful of its kind in Rio. At this time, rowing was the most popular sport in Brazil. Ten years later, on 12th August 1904, Botafogo founded a football club: the Electro Club. In the same year the Association changed its name to Botafogo Football Club and had the same colors (black and white) and the same emblem as the rowing club. The BFC was among eight teams, in 1906.

Rios won the Campeonato Carioca in 1907 and 1910. Other state championships followed after 1930. In 1942 they joined the Football Club and the Rowing Club Botafogo finally under the name of Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas.

Today many in Brazil are known to be the best in the world. With Didi, Nilton Santos and Mario Zagallo, three more world champions of 1958 and 1962. Amarildo was in 1962 a replacement for world champion Pele. Didi in 1958 was elected the best player and Garrincha in 1962.

Even the subsequent generation of players had outstanding players. In the Brazilian team, the 1970 world champions were Gerson and Jairzinho, both outstanding players from Botafogo. They were trained in the 1970s by Selecao Mario Zagallo, the coach of Botafogo, until a few months before the World Cup, the Brazilian Association Joao Saldanha was sacked and master trainer Zagallo was committed.

Botafogo in Rio de Janeiro
In the 1970s there began a decline of the association. The stars were sold, as well as the association headquarters, under unclear circumstances. With the temporary change to the other side of Guanabara Bay, the club lost many fans. 1989, 1990 and 1997 were great years for Botafogo again, winning the Rio State Championship. Two more of the greatest successes come in the 1990s. In 1993 the South American Copa CONMEBOL, perhaps comparable to the European UEFA Cup, was won and in 1995 Botafogo won its first Brazilian championship.

Stadium

Botafogo plays its home games in the designated multi-purpose stadium Estadio Olimpico Joao Havelange. This stadium, the colloquial “Engenhao”, has a capacity of 45,000 spectators.

In previous decades the club played its home games in the Estadio de General Severiano in Botafogo, which holds 20,000 spectators. The stadium, inaugurated in 1913 fell in 1977.

Manequino before club seats General Severiano

Mascot

Like all Brazilian football clubs Botafogo also has a mascot. For a long time it was the cartoon character Donald Duck, in Brazil called Pato Donald. In 1991 Walt Disney Corporation suddenly demanded royalties. The Duck has since been officially established by the Manequinho, a statue in front of the club seats General Severiano, replaced with a strong resemblance to the Brussels landmark Manneken Pis.

Most popular to the fans is the dog Biriba, already successful in the 1940s it provided a faithful service and is now thought to bring good luck.