Bahia Sporting Club - Long live the Passion of Football

The Esporte Clube Bahia is a Brazilian sports club based in Salvador, the capital of Bahia. Known simply as Bahia or by the initials ECB, it was founded on January 1, 1931, by former players of the Clube Bahiano de Tênis and the Associação Atlética da Bahia, organizations that had ceased their football activities at the end of the 1920s.

It was a co-founder of the Clube dos 13 in 1987, which brought together the thirteen most important clubs in Brazilian football, representing 95% of Brazilian fans at the time. With just over 90 years of existence, the Tricolor da Boa Terra has become one of the most popular clubs in the state, in the North-Northeast region, and in the country, holding the largest fan base among clubs in its region and the 9th largest in the country, according to the AtlasIntel Institute, in a survey conducted in 2024. Additionally, it is one of the North-Northeast clubs with the most official titles in history. According to Sports Value, the club's brand is the fifteenth most valuable in Brazil in 2023, exceeding 594 million reais, making it the largest in the Northeast. Its official colors are Blue, White, and Red, in homage to the flag of its state of origin, which is also remembered in the club's name, colors, shield, flag, and in the stands. The club's mascot is the Superman, a popular character from comic books.

The club won its first Campeonato Brasileiro title in 1959, against Santos. It was also the first Brazilian representative to participate in a Copa Libertadores edition, in 1960.[note 1] In 1988, the Bahia Tricolor won its second Brazilian title, this time defeating Internacional. With these titles, Bahia is the only club outside the South-Southeast axis to hold two national titles from the main division of Brazilian football. Bahia has also been a Brazilian runner-up twice, in 1961 and 1963. It participated in the 1989 Libertadores, reaching the quarter-finals, a feat no other club from the North-Northeast-Central-West achieved at the time. The club has won four titles in the Copa do Nordeste, in 2001, 2002, 2017, and 2021, becoming the joint-most successful club in the competition along with Vitória, and 50 in the Campeonato Baiano de Futebol, being the second most successful state champion in Brazil overall, only behind ABC de Natal, which has 57 state titles. For a long time, Bahia dominated the state championship, having been a seven-time champion from 1973 to 1979. The Esporte Clube Bahia is the club from the Northeast with the most appearances in the first division of Brazilian football (51), and also the one with the most participations in international tournaments (11).

Bahia used to play its matches at Campo da Graça until the inauguration of Fonte Nova, which was closed in 2007, demolished in 2010 for renovations, and since 2013, as Arena Fonte Nova, it has returned to being the club's home ground. During the absence of the Arena, Bahia played its matches at Estádio de Pituaçu, a venue that, in the absence of the Arena, has always hosted the Tricolor well, a fact that gives it great affection from the fans, especially in 2010, which was marked in the club's history for symbolizing the club's return to the national scene after a decline following relegation in 2003. Returning to the Série A and international competitions, such as the Copa Sul-Americana, with more appearances in the Northeast. With Arena Fonte Nova, Bahia regained dominance in the state and regional scene, winning several Campeonato Baiano titles and winning the Copa do Nordeste twice in five finals.

Its biggest rival is Esporte Clube Vitória, with whom it plays the classic known as Ba-Vi, a classic in which Bahia holds a significant advantage, both in terms of victories and goals scored, and also in titles, although since the 1990s, this historical advantage has drastically diminished. However, from the 2010s onwards, Bahia has regained its state and classic supremacy, winning seven titles by 2023, against five for its rival. Still, it is one of the most important rivalries in Brazilian football. However, Bahia has had historic classics with other traditional clubs from Salvador that have had their times of glory, such as Galicia (the Clássico das Cores), Botafogo-BA (the Clássico do Pote), and Ypiranga (the Clássico das Multidões). Regionally, there is also much rivalry against Sport Club do Recife.

History

The club was founded on January 1, 1931, exclusively to form a men's football team due to the closure of the football departments at Associação Atlética da Bahia and Clube Bahiano de Tênis in 1930. After discussions, the new statute and the first board were approved, with young doctor Waldemar Costa elected as president, and the statute published in the Diário Oficial da União on January 16, 1931. On January 20, Bahia joined the Federação Bahiana de Esportes Terrestres, now known as the Federação Bahiana de Futebol. Training sessions were held at the AABB field, in Quinta da Barra. On March 1, the club played its first official match in the Torneio Início against Ypiranga. The match resulted in a Tricolor victory of 2-0, with goals from Bayma and Guarany, and in the first edition of the Clássico das Multidões. On the same day, Bahia lifted its first trophy, that of the champion of the Torneio Início of 1931. On March 22, Bahia debuted in the Campeonato Baiano de Futebol, winning 3-0, and in this first edition, it became the undefeated state champion. Still that year, Bahia played its first intermunicipal match, defeating Vitória de Ilhéus 5-4; its first interstate match, beating Sergipe 2-0; its first international match, playing against Sud América from Uruguay, which was touring Brazil; and also the first Clássico do Pote, a duel against Botafogo-BA, which ended in a 2-2 draw.

Thus, the 1930s marked a smashing start. Despite crises in the board in 1932 and 1937, it won the first Ba-Vi in history on September 18, 1932, drew the first Clássico das Cores (against Galicia), established a new headquarters in the Brotas neighborhood, had its left midfielder Armandinho called up to the Brazil Men's National Football Team, won five editions of the Campeonato Baiano de Futebol in that decade, and achieved the biggest victory of all time over Vitória, 10-1, on December 8, 1939.

If the 1940s began with the title of 1940 and the foreign trio of idols formed by Argentinians Papetti and Bianchi and Italian Avalle, the setbacks followed.

Galicia was a three-time state champion, and the lack of titles culminated in huge debts, still unpaid due to the substantial financial injections from president and passionate fan Carlos Wildberger. With financial difficulties, it was evicted from its headquarters on Avenida Princesa Isabel and settled in a new headquarters in the Canela neighborhood. In 1949, at 18 years of existence, the club moved again to Barra. In this decade, the club also stood out for the composition of its anthem by Adroaldo Ribeiro Costa, considered by historian Cid Teixeira to be the most popular in the history of the state alongside the anthem of Senhor do Bonfim; disagreements with the Federação Bahiana de Desportos Terrestres (FBDT); the use for the first time of the expression "Esquadrão de Aço" in a headline in the newspaper A Tarde, by journalist Aristóteles Góes; the starting goalkeeper for about seven years, Lessa, mentioned in verses by Gilberto Gil in the song Tradição as “a goalkeeper, a guarantee”; the tenth state title in 18 tournaments played until 1949; and the consecutive three-time championship in the Campeonato Baiano de Futebol also that year.

The year 1950, despite internal crises continuing to exist, unlike other times, did not affect the performance on the field. In the qualifying phase of the Baianão, it lost only two of 12 games and finished in first place. In the first match of the finals against Vitória, it won 2-1. In the second, however, it suffered a spectacular comeback and lost 4-3. This required a tiebreaker match. It took place on November 12, where the Tricolor won 3-1, with star Zé Hugo, who five years later scored two goals in the final against Vitória. With the title conquest, Bahia became the first Tetracampeão in the history of the Campeonato Baiano de Futebol.

The club's rise to Brazil occurred in the 1950s with the fourth consecutive state title in 1950, the inauguration of Estádio Octávio Mangabeira (Fonte Nova), and the conquest of the Taça Brasil in 1959 (the old format of the current Campeonato Brasileiro), becoming the first Brazilian champion in history. The great state strength was recognized nationally in 1959 when the Confederação Brasileira de Desportos (CBD) organized the first national championship among clubs as an alternative to replace the Campeonato Brasileiro de Seleções Estaduais. The tournament, in knockout format, indicated a Brazilian representative for the Copa Libertadores da América, a tournament created by CONMEBOL in the same year, which would begin the following year.

The Brazilian tournament brought together state champions and was divided into groups (Northeast, North, East, and South), which grouped into zones (North-Northeast Zone and Southeast-South Zone). The São Paulo and Rio champions entered the final stretch, facing the winner of the North-Northeast Zone and the Southeast-South Zone each. The winners of these confrontations led to the tournament finalists. In the first year of the Taça Brasil, there were 16 participants, and Bahia was indicated as the representative of Bahia, having been the Baiano champion of 1958. Thus, it was enabled to participate in the competition. The Tricolor was not the favorite, especially since it had heavyweight competitors, such as Vasco da Gama of Bellini and Santos of Pelé, Pepe, and Coutinho. In the Northeast Group, Bahia debuted against CSA, winning 5-0. In the second game, it won again, this time 2-0, and advanced without needing a third game. Ceará, which had beaten ABC, was the rival in the Northeast Group. After drawing 0-0 and 2-2, it won 2-1 in the third game and advanced to the next phase. In the North Group, Sport became the champion and qualified to challenge Bahia for the North Group title. (In the South Group, it was Grêmio, and in the East Group, Atlético Mineiro). The North Group champion faced the Carioca Champion, and the South Zone champion faced the São Paulo Champion. On December 10, 1959, the first major final took place in Vila Belmiro, where the Tricolor won 3-2, surprising everyone who expected another show from star Pelé. This time, favoritism changed sides, and the celebration was planned in Salvador. It was certain that that new year in Bahia would be special. However, euphoria transcended calm, and on December 30, Santos, in Fonte Nova, beat the Tricolor 2-0. This led to a third game to decide who would be the champion. With the party delayed and euphoria calmed, the team traveled to Rio de Janeiro (then the federal capital) to play the third match on neutral ground. There, Santos (and all the media) already believed in the title, and Bahia then showed all its good football and the reason it had become supreme in the state. It won 3-1 and became the first Brazilian Champion in history. The team that played the final was: Nadinho; Leone and Henrique; Flávio and Vicente; Marito, Alencar, Léo, Mário, and Biriba. The then president was the controversial Osório Villas-Boas, not very well-liked by the fans. The coach until the finals was Ifigênio Bahianense (Geninho), but he left before the final, and Paraguayan Carlos Volante took over. The Tricolor also had the top scorer of the championship: Léo Briglia.

The Libertadores of 1960 was not very good for the Tricolor but served to introduce one of its greatest idols in the coming years. The Tricolor lost the first game 3-0 to San Lorenzo from Argentina, with an impeccable performance from José Sanfilippo. In the return game, Bahia won 3-2 but was eliminated. Sanfilippo would only arrive at the club in 1968 but would make history. With three consecutive state titles at the beginning of the 1960s, Bahia reached the finals of the Taça Brasil in 1961 and 1963, losing both to Santos. It missed the editions of 1964, 1965, 1966, and 1967 due to losing the state championships in the previous years. The reconquest of the state title in 1967 made the Esquadrão return to the national tournament in 1968.

The 1970s were a pure glory period for Bahia. The Tricolor began to assemble increasingly competitive squads (notable players include Sanfilippo, Baiaco, Picasso, Alberto Leguelé, Sapatão, Roberto Rebouças, Eliseu Godoy, Beijoca, Douglas, Fito Neves, Gelson Fogazzi Rocha, and Gilson Gênio) and began to fight not only against clubs from Bahia but also against other clubs from Brazil. The start of the new National Championship (reformulation of the old Taça Brasil and the Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa) combined with the grand moment of the club led to its strong expression on the national scene. In the period of 1973–1974–1975–1976–1977–1978–1979, the Tricolor was state champion in all editions, and in three of them, it won consecutively against Vitória in the finals. As the rubro-negro had the best campaign, it reached the 1979 finals with an advantage. The Tricolor won the first game and drew the second. The advantage gave the rival an extra game, where the draw favored them. For Bahia, it was left to win, and lo and behold, in the second half, with the rubro-negra crowd euphoric, midfielder Fito Neves attempted a long shot, and goalkeeper Gélson made a historic mistake, still remembered by fans present at the time. Bahia won 1-0, silenced the rival fans, and celebrated: Bahia heptacampeão, one of the greatest sequences of titles in Brazilian football. During this period, some data help explain this achievement, according to historian Galdino Silva:

Throughout these seven championships, players Baiaco, Douglas, Fito, Romero, and Sapatão participated in all campaigns and are effectively true heptacampeões in fact.
The Tricolor played a total of 228 games, of which it won 142, drew 75 times, and lost only 11 matches, scoring 419 goals and conceding 102 goals.
Douglas was the great top scorer of these campaigns, scoring over 90 goals.

The 1980s were certainly the most victorious for Bahia, as it was in this decade that the Tricolor de Aço won its second Brazilian title in 1988. In the 31 opportunities it participated in the tournament, its best campaigns were a fourth place in 1990 and a fifth in 1986, having finished in the top ten eight times. Bahia was also a semifinalist in the 1982 Tournament of Champions, a tournament promoted by the CBF that brought together the biggest clubs in Brazil at the time. In the 1988 Campeonato Brasileiro, it won the bicampeonato by defeating Internacional from Porto Alegre, directed by Evaristo de Macedo. The Tricolor, with stars like Ronaldo, João Marcelo, Charles Fabian, Bobô, Zé Carlos, and others, defeated Internacional in the final, fighting against the strength of the colorados at Beira-Rio and the media, which considered the title certain for the gauchos. Bahia is still one of the only two Brazilian champions from the North/Northeast (along with Sport).[note 2] With the title of 1988, it secured a spot in the Copa Libertadores da América in 1989, where it achieved its best result, reaching the quarter-finals.

After the victories in the Campeonato Brasileiro of 1959 and 1988, Bahia was unable to maintain administrative stability and suffered a decline. Despite its victorious curriculum, Bahia endured one of the worst periods in its history during the 2000s, even winning the Copa do Nordeste for the first time, becoming bicampeão (2001-2002), but at the national level was irregular. In addition to winning only one state title (in 2001), it was relegated to the Série B of the Campeonato Brasileiro in 2003 and to the Série C in 2005. The club returned to the second national division in 2008 and the main division in 2011. Starting in 1997, it fell to the second division of the Campeonato Brasileiro, returning to the elite in 2000, and even then thanks to the Copa João Havelange, as the Tricolor had not managed to qualify in 1999. In 2001, it had a great Campeonato Brasileiro, managing to qualify for the finals. The following year, the continued errors of the board resulted in a new drop in productivity and finally in 2003, it was relegated again. After a terrible championship, suffering heavy defeats, Bahia fell against Cruzeiro, which beat the Tricolor 7-0 at Fonte Nova. In the Copa do Brasil, until 2007, Bahia was in 12th place in the ranking of points earned, with 123 points, and its best placement was in 2002, when it finished in fifth place. In 2003, it had the top scorer of the competition: Nonato, with nine goals.

In 2005, Bahia was, along with its archrival Vitória, relegated to the third division after another poor administration of the club, and tried in 2006 to rebuild its winning history, unsuccessfully remaining in the third division. With the end of Marcelo Guimarães' management at the club, Petrônio Barradas was elected president. Petrônio was almost universally disapproved by the fans due to the bad phase resulting from the poor management of his predecessor. In the Campeonato Baiano de Futebol, it was eliminated in the semifinals by Colo Colo from Ilhéus, which became the state champion that year. In the Copa do Brasil, it was eliminated by Ceilândia, losing 2-1 at Fonte Nova, still in the tournament's first phase. In Série C, there were indications of a rise to the Second Division; however, defeats and punishments for invasion of the field by fans culminated in the club's permanence, while Vitória qualified for the higher division. The rise came in 2007, with remarkable episodes such as Charles' saving goal against Rio Branco in the final octagonal, the walk from Fonte Nova to the Sacred Hill of the Church of Our Lord of Bonfim on foot by the coaching staff and players of the club on the same day, the packed stadiums in the remaining matches of the final octagonal, the tragic incident at Fonte Nova with the death of seven fans, and the transfer of the home ground to Feira de Santana, at the Jóia da Princesa Stadium, the following year, while Estádio de Pituaçu was renovated.

In 2007, the organized fan group Terror Tricolor exchanged punches and kicks with players at Fazendão in tumult and chaos due to the anger over the team's situation. At the end of 2008, then federal deputy Marcelo Guimarães Filho (MGF) was elected with the image of being a young president, symbolizing the renewal and modernization of the club. Only in 2010, there was qualification for the Série A in the midst of a major reform process in the club's training center (CT) and the professionalization of all its sectors (only the president's position remained unpaid), initiated by the then president. The devotion of its fans was recognized by the CBF with the award of Golden Fan. At the award ceremony, Sports Minister Orlando Silva, a declared fan of rival Vitória, irritated the honored fans by not mentioning at any moment which award and which club was being honored.

As a result of finishing the Brasileirão 2011 in 14th place, the club, after 22 years out of an international competition, qualified for the Copa Sul-Americana 2012. On September 30, 2011, the film "Bahia Minha Vida," by Márcio Cavalcante, debuted in theaters across Brazil, a box office success that told the story of the club through the accounts of 120 interviewees, including journalists, players, commentators, referees, artists, and fans. In 2012, a survey indicated the feature as the second highest-grossing film in history among national sports films, losing only to the film "Pelé Eterno." Critics from across Brazil, especially football fans, praised the film, which was the first to be released in Brazil telling the story of a football team. According to data from the National Cinema Agency (Ancine), 74,857 people saw the Tricolor film in theaters. The revenue was 597,579 reais. In the 2012 Baianão, the state title came after a ten-year drought. In the Copa do Brasil, the team reached the quarter-finals, losing to Grêmio. In the Brasileirão, however, Bahia did not repeat the good performances of the start of the season but escaped relegation. In the Copa Sul-Americana, Bahia had a poor campaign and was eliminated in the national phase against São Paulo.

The year 2013 was quite turbulent. The president remodeled the statute, giving the Deliberative Council the power to select the two candidates to be voted on by the members, with the same Council being renewed only after the election. In the 2013 state championship, the inconsistency and low quality of the squad led Bahia to perform the worst campaign since 1942 in the Campeonato Baiano. Thus, the fans began protests such as "Zero Attendance," emptying the stadiums, aiming to economically affect the club to try to obtain the president's resignation. Additionally, many fans disassociated from the "Official Fan of Bahia" program, seeking the same purpose. Notable fans and idols of the club, such as Bobô, Paulo Rodrigues, Jaques Wagner, ACM Neto, Ricardo Chaves, etc., supported by journalists from various sports media, such as Neto, Juca Kfouri, initiated a movement, led by Sidônio Palmeira, titled "Bahia da Torcida," which aimed for a series of changes, starting with the resignation of the club president. Despite Marcelo Guimarães Filho's resistance in the previous two years, the judiciary ordered intervention in the club for the reform of the statute and promotion of direct elections. In a vote on August 17, 2013, the reform of the club's statute was established with the purpose of direct election by members for the president's position. On September 7, 2013, the first direct and democratic election in the history of EC Bahia took place, when Fernando Schmidt, who had previously been president, was elected to the presidency until December 2014. On December 13, 2014, the second direct election occurred, with journalist Marcelo Sant'Ana winning for the 2015-2017 triennium. In 2018 and 2020, the club reached the quarter-finals of the Copa Sul-Americana, its best campaigns to date.

On December 3, 2022, the members accepted the proposal to acquire 90% of the club's SAF by the City Football Group, thus inaugurating a new era in Bahia's football.

In January 2023, Bahia signed a contract with the betting site Esportes da Sorte worth 57 million over three years. The company becomes the master sponsor, and Bahia will receive 19 million per season, an amount considered the largest in the club's history.

On May 4, 2023, Esporte Clube Bahia officially completed the sale of 90% of the club's SAF to City Group. The remaining 10% remains with the civil association Esporte Clube Bahia. The agreement was finalized at Arena Fonte Nova. On this occasion, Raul Aguirre was announced as the CEO of the SAF.

Shield

The club is symbolized by its three colors, its shield, its two stars, its flag, its uniforms, its mascot, and its anthem, and through these, the club is known. Its colors are blue, red, and white. Blue is in honor of Associação Atlética da Bahia; white, in kindness to Clube Bahiano de Tênis; and red, for being the color of the flag of the state of Bahia. Coincidentally (or not), the three colors are the same as those of the flag of Bahia. With the three colors of the state, Bahia is known as the Tricolor Baiano. Similarly, Bahia's flag seeks to honor the flag of the State of Bahia, a state that the club has honored since its founding. According to the club's statute, the flag is rectangular with horizontal white and red stripes, having the shield positioned over a blue square in the upper left corner. Next to it is the flag of the State of Bahia, a reference for the creation of Bahia's flag.

Raimundo Magalhães designed the Bahia shield. He was inspired by the shield of Corinthians Paulista at the time, changing only the colors (black and red for blue and red), the flag in the center (from São Paulo to Bahia) and the year of foundation (1910 - Corinthians for 1931 - Bahia). Thus, it became: round, in blue, red, and white colors, with a flag similar to Bahia's in the center and two stars above the shield representing the conquests of the Taça Brasil in 1959 and the Campeonato Brasileiro in 1988. The two stars displayed above the shield represent the two greatest achievements of the club: the two Brazilian championships won in 1959 and 1988.

Ba-Vi

Bahia is a historical rival of the other popular club in Salvador, Esporte Clube Vitória, against which it plays the biggest classic in the Northeast Region, with confrontations since 1932. The Tricolor has the advantage in the classic, having, in 504 games, won 194 classics and scored 659 goals, against 156 from the main rival, with thirteen matches having audiences larger than 70,000 people.([)(needs sources)(]) In 1994, in a memorable match, with Fonte Nova completely full (over 97,000 paying and 100,000 present - the largest audience in Ba-Vi history), Bahia won the Campeonato Baiano after being down 1-0 until the 44th minute of the second half when Raudinei came off the bench and equalized the classic, securing the title for the Tricolor (who had the advantage of a draw).

The first official Ba-Vi was held on September 18, 1932, when the Tricolor defeated its biggest rival 3-0. Its biggest victory over the rival was also the biggest in the history of the classic: 10-1, on December 8, 1939.

However, in its early decades, Bahia had classic matches against other teams from the capital of Bahia, which at the time had equal, or perhaps even greater, levels of rivalry and popular clamor than the Ba-Vi classic has today, as Bahia was on the rise but was still a promising team, while Vitória was not an expressive club, being considered amateur at that time.

Clássico do Pote

The Clássico do Pote is the duel between Bahia and Botafogo-BA. It has this name because, in their second confrontation, a Botafogo fan promised to break a clay pot to celebrate the first victory over the Tricolor Baiano, as the first game had ended in a draw (2-2). However, the winner of that game was Bahia (2-1).

In fact, after this promise, the Tricolor would win 8 more matches and draw 2, in a period of about 6 years. In all of them, the acclaimed pot was brought, the red-and-white fans cheered, but in the end left frustrated. Only on September 5, 1937, was it fulfilled when Botafogo won 2-1.

In the first 10 years of the confrontation (1931-1941), there were 23 matches, where Bahia won 17, drew 3, and lost 3. The Tricolor became sovereign in the classic until mid-1989 when Botafogo was relegated to the second division of the Campeonato Baiano de Futebol, and since then, there has been no duel between them. In 2013, with the return of Botafogo to the first state division, the desire of many football lovers, especially in Bahia, to see this great classic of Bahia again became possible.

Clássico das Cores

The Clássico das Cores is the duel between Bahia and Galícia, and it gets its name because both have the colors red, blue, and white in their respective shields and uniforms (although Galícia has blue as the predominant color in its uniforms - so much so that it is affectionately nicknamed "azulino" - there is a red cross in the shield that sometimes leads to red details in the uniform). For a long time, both rivaled for hegemony in the state, as they had been founded around the same time (Bahia in 1931 and Galícia in 1933), and were promising clubs.

The Tricolor Baiano is now the largest club in the state, but the granadeiro, in turn, succumbed to the lack of resources and since 1999 has been competing in the second division of the Campeonato Baiano de Futebol. In 2013, however, the granadeiro (as Galícia is popularly known) won access to the first division of the state championship, making the reedition of this epic classic possible.

Clássico do Povo

The Clássico do Povo (or Clássico das Multidões or Milhões) is the confrontation between Bahia and Ypiranga, the clubs, at that time, most popular in the state. Bahia was born with great affection from the Bahian people, and with the conquests in such a short time since its foundation, it quickly saw the number of fans increase. As Ypiranga was, at the time, the holder of most of the Bahian fan base, this meteoric rise of Bahia led chroniclers, journalists, writers, and especially fans of the time to treat the duel as a derby (classic).

It was against Ypiranga that Bahia played its first official match, in the Torneio Início da Bahia, winning 2-0. Until the mid-1950s, the competition was fierce, but the decay of the aurinegro and the rise of Vitória from then on led to the decay of this historic classic. Currently, Bahia continues to be the most popular in the state, but the second place was lost by the aurinegro to Vitória. In 1991, Ypiranga was relegated to the second division of the Campeonato Baiano de Futebol, and since then, there have been no confrontations between the Tricolor and the Aurinegro.

Bahia versus Sport

Taking the Northeast Region of Brazil as a reference, Bahia's major regional rival is Sport Club do Recife, a foe against which it has a good advantage, with thirty-seven victories and 29 draws, against 24 for the rival. However, it was Sport that had the most goals in a national competition, a 6-0 rout in the Taça Brasil of 1959, which did not help much, as Bahia ended up qualifying for the next phase and subsequently becoming the national champion.

Both are regarded as two of the biggest clubs in the Northeast, and also the only ones to have national titles in Série A in the region (two Campeonato Brasileiros for Bahia; one Campeonato Brasileiro from Série A and one from Série B, and one Copa do Brasil for Sport), in addition to Bahia and Pernambuco being the two largest states and having long contended for leadership in this region.

On the night of May 24, 2017, another classic between the giants of the Northeast, the Tricolor baiano faced Leão da Ilha, at Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador. For this match, Bahia had the advantage of drawing 0-0, as in the first leg, at Ilha do Retiro, the match ended in a 1-1 draw. The Esquadrão de Aço was technically better and displayed excellent quality football. Having played with one more player for most of the game, due to a controversial expulsion of a Sport player still in the first half, and even with the tight score of 1-0, Esporte Clube Bahia was crowned, for the third time, Champion of the Copa do Nordeste, in front of an audience of nearly 50,000 fans.

Symbols

Mascot

Known as "Tricolor de Aço" or "Esquadrão de Aço", Bahia's mascot is a man of steel (similar to Superman), a character from DC Comics, created by cartoonist Ziraldo in 1979, where the suit worn by the Tricolor de Aço is very similar to the original Superman suit, sharing the team's colors.

The club's Marketing Department gave life to the symbol by making a puppet that always appears before matches to energize the fans in the stadiums.

The mascot references the character from comic books, where he was almost immortal, only weakening in the presence of Kryptonite, i.e., perhaps the strongest of all superheroes. Combining this with football, it refers to the club, which in its more than 80 years is a two-time national champion and has the second highest number of state titles in Brazil (behind only ABC Futebol Clube).

Aiming to increase identification with the fans and also raise awareness in the fight against racism, the club launched in 2014 the official mascot Lindona da Bahêa, the black Wonder Woman, in partnership with Superman, with features from artist Nei Costa.

Men's Football Uniforms

At the club's founding, it was defined that the club's uniform would consist of a white shirt, blue shorts with a red stripe at the waist, and gray socks. Years later, the red color for the sock was adopted and immortalized as the club's trademark. The second shirt, however, is the club's most famous: the tricolor, with vertical stripes in blue and red, with thinner vertical white stripes between them. In some seasons, however, this model is not used, and the shirt is remodeled and produced excluding the white stripes, with designs coming from the supplier. In recent years, the club has been using non-traditional colors and/or models in its third uniform, such as in 2010 when it honored the Spanish national team, in 2011 when it honored the French national team, in 2012 when it used a shirt model nicknamed Arsenal model (due to its similarity to the English club's shirt), and in 2013 when it used a blue and pink gradient shirt.

Anthem

In many football teams, the anthem is a song produced to translate the life of a club into notes. In Bahia, it is different. The anthem is not only the translation of the club but also the translation of the passion of its fans for it and all the atmosphere experienced in the stands during Tricolor matches. It has transcended normality and has even turned into carnival music, where it is possible to see even fans from other teams surrendering to the beauty and grandeur of the club's anthem and singing it out loud.

In 1946, a group of fans, led by Amado Bahia Monteiro, decided to create a uniformed fan group. To this end, they wanted to create a chant to energize their supporters. Thus, they sought the professor and journalist Adroaldo Ribeiro Costa who, excited, already set to work the next day. Since Bahia's fan base was not very large at the time, he sought to compensate for the numerical inferiority with emotion and vibration. The Tricolor anthem began to emerge little by little.

“

We are the Tricolor crowdWe are the voice of the championWe are the people's clamorNo one beats us in vibration…”

”

The club's smashing start, winning several titles in the first years of its foundation, and a traditional shout from the then small but vibrant Bahia fan base ("Bahia! Bahia! Bahia") inspired the journalist:

“

Let’s go, forward, squad!Let’s go, you will be the winner!Let’s go, conquer another goal!Bahia! Bahia! Bahia!Hear this voice that is your breath!Bahia! Bahia! Bahia!

”

Right after the goal, the unsatisfied Tricolor fans clamored for more ("Another One! Another One!"). Adroaldo took advantage and inserted this into the song:

“

Another one! Another one, Bahia!Another, another glorious title!“Another one! Another one, Bahia!That’s how your history is summarized.

”

After being written, it lacked a melody. It didn’t take long, and it came out naturally. After some adjustments, the song had been conceived. It was taken to the fans, who loved it and brought it to the matches, however, the uniformed fans did not last many years, and soon it was disbanded, and the anthem was forgotten. Almost 10 years later, the club's then president, João Palma Neto, sought to increase Bahia's strength through a member campaign supported by extensive advertising. As a form of support for the campaign, he revived the anthem, changing only the third verse, replacing “No one beats us in fervor” with “We are the people's clamor.” Maestro Agenor Gomes played the instrumentation for the band, João Palma Neto sought and organized a choir of fans, got the Fire Department Band, and recorded the song.

When the anthem was delivered to Bahia, Adroaldo Ribeiro transferred all copyright of the anthem to the club. He imposed the condition that the authorship of the song not be revealed, as he wanted it to be considered a spontaneous chant, born from the fans. The director accepted the proposal, and for years, the author of the beautiful song remained unknown. Without changing the commitment regarding copyright, Adroaldo revealed the authorship some time later.

The success led him to be sought by other teams to compose their anthems; however, all his requests were denied because, according to him, he could not make their respective anthems as he did not know how to do what he did not feel.

Fans

Bahia, with all its tradition and triumphant history, has as its greatest asset not a trophy, a player, or even its training center or ventures, but rather its fans. The Tricolor has the largest fan base in the North-Northeast and Central-West, as evidenced by surveys conducted by renowned research institutes such as Datafolha and IBOPE, where all indicate Bahia as having the largest fan base in the Northeast region. In Bahia, the club holds most of its fans, with 35.6% (about 5,446,800), even having more fans than Vitória (its biggest rival and holder of the second largest fan base in the state with 17.8%) and Flamengo (third place in the state, with 17.2%, approximately 2,399,425), something common in the Northeast. The fans' euphoria led the club to achieve the highest average attendance in Brazil in 2007 (40,400 people per game), in 2004, 1988 (35,537 people per game), 1986 (46,291 people per game), and 1985 (41,497 people per game). The average for 1986 is still the sixth highest in the history of the Brasileirão. Until 2011, in home games, Bahia had the second highest overall average per club (2,413,903), losing only to Flamengo (2,697,902).([)(needs sources)(])

Throughout its history, the successes of the Bahian team have always been linked to the support and passion of its fans. A beautiful example of this is the semifinal of 1988, where Bahia came back to win 2-1 against Fluminense and secured a spot in the final, which it would later win. The crowd is still the largest recorded in the history of Fonte Nova: 110,438 fans celebrated and pushed the team to victory. This was the 24th largest audience in history for a game in the Campeonato Brasileiro. In the final that same year, against Internacional, about 90,000 went to the stadium.

It has a large fan base throughout Brazil, specifically ranked 13th. In mid-1993, a curious survey pointed its fan base as the sixth largest in the state of São Paulo, behind only São Paulo, Corinthians, Palmeiras, Santos, and Flamengo.

In 2010, the CBF recognized the fanaticism of the Tricolor fans, awarding the club the title of golden fan.

Organized Fans

Below is a list of the main organized fan groups of the club currently:

Bamor: The largest organized fan group of Bahia, founded in 1978. It is located behind the "goal that faces Avenida Paralela" at Roberto Santos Stadium (Metropolitano de Pituaçu), to the left of the press boxes. In the new Arena Fonte Nova, it usually stays to the left of the radio booths, towards Ladeira da Fonte das Pedras. It contains numerous flags as well as a drum, a large banner in the shape of the Tricolor jersey, and one of the largest banners of an organized fan group in Brazil (180m long), with the words: "BAMOR No one beats us in vibration." It usually accompanies the team in away games. In November 2010, in the match where Bahia defeated Portuguesa and secured access to Série A of the Brazilian championship, the fans launched their new large banner, this one with 6,000 square meters, the seventh largest in Brazil and the largest in Bahia. Seven days later, a new large banner was unveiled, this time featuring the sponsor's logo (Brahma).
Povão: Known for its large number of flags. Located on the opposite side of the broadcast booths at Arena Fonte Nova. It usually sets off many fireworks when Bahia enters the field. (EXTINCT)
Torcida Uniformizada Terror Tricolor: Founded in 2004, it is recognized for its independence and constant protests against the club's board. The highlight is the large banner, one of the largest in Brazil, measuring 5,600 square meters.
Jovem Disposição Tricolor: Founded in 2002, its motto is Ideology, Union, and Attitude. (EXTINCT)
Tricoloucos: Founded in 2000, the highlight is the 2,500 square meter banner. (EXTINCT)
Fiel: The fan group where the old guard of Bahia resides. It is next to Povão. Its members have great prestige with the Bahia board. It plays an important role in pressuring the club, be it positive or negative. (EXTINCT)
Garra: Located to the right of the radio and press boxes. They guarantee total independence and uphold the slogans of "Peace," "Respect," and "Bahia above all." Founded on July 20, 1998. (EXTINCT)
Torcida Legião Tricolor: On May 25, 2011, the newest organized fan group of Bahia was born in Salvador, Bahia, in a family ceremony where the Torcida Organizada Legião Tricolor began its work to support Esporte Clube Bahia's campaign in the Campeonato Brasileiro. The idea arose between two healthy fans (father and son), who, thinking of gathering a group of friends and family, including the mothers of this group, decided to found TOLT, with clearly defined goals of celebrating joy, carrying the club's flag, being present in the stadiums wherever E.C. Bahia plays, and spreading its battalions (BTL) throughout neighborhoods in Salvador, defining in its symbolism arms crossed upward and fingers pointing forming the L of Legião and Liberty, with the main mascot being the blue Hulk demonstrating its strength. (EXTINCT)
TUBA: Located to the right of Bamor. Founded in 1997, they guarantee they have never missed a Bahia match at Fonte Nova and always travel with the team to follow their away games. (EXTINCT)
Movimento Turma Tricolor: With a style similar to that of barra brava fans, its main characteristic is to support and encourage only the club. Founded in 2016.
Direto do Hospício: Founded in 2016, the organized D.D.H. 1931 has the motto "Liberated from the asylum, imprisoned by the love for Bahia." They represent the culture of the ultras.

Cheerleaders

The club was one of the pioneers in implementing an exclusive women's fan group, present at all matches of the Esquadrão in its stadium: the Tricoleaders (equivalent to traditional cheerleaders in American football), formed in 2011 but only "introduced" to the fields in 2013 due to bureaucratic issues, during the management of president Fenando Schimidt, and from then on became the official cheerleaders. The group is made up of 16 girls.

Embassies

These are groups of fans residing in various places in Brazil and abroad, aimed at recruiting new members and promoting Bahia's actions, such as excursions and welcoming the team at airports.

Heritage

CT Fazendão

The Osório Villas-Boas Training Center, better known as Fazendão, is a training center inaugurated by the club in 1979, in the Itinga neighborhood, Lauro de Freitas, metropolitan region of Salvador. The training center was named after Osório Villas-Boas in honor of one of the club's greatest presidents, commander of the conquest of the first national championship in 1959 against Pelé's Santos.

Built on an area of 120 thousand square meters, it has four training fields, three of which have official measurements. The area of the training center also includes the club's administrative headquarters, accommodation for the youth teams, a press room, and a grandstand with a capacity for 3,000 seats.

Fazendão is not just a training space; it also has a concentration facility for professional athletes, renovated and reopened in 2004 under the name of José Maria de Magalhães Neto.

In 2009, it was completely renovated under the management of president Marcelo Guimarães Filho and then-football director Paulo Carneiro. Over R$1,500,000.00 was invested in its renovation, which included the construction of a fully modern gym - and obviously, new - a physiology room utilizing the best in the field, new general equipment, total renovation of the 4 CT fields, kitchen expansion, and new items for the dormitories of professional and youth division players to provide better comfort for the athletes.

CT Cidade Tricolor

The new Training Center of Bahia, officially named after its former coach Evaristo de Macedo, is located on Estrada Cidade Tricolor, in the municipality of Dias d'Ávila, and has 350 thousand square meters, six football fields, a gym, medical department, and concentration buildings for the main team and youth teams, among others.

The Evaristo de Macedo Training Center (Cidade Tricolor) was inaugurated on January 11, 2020.

Beach Headquarters

Located on Boca do Rio beach in Salvador, the Paulo Maracajá Beach Headquarters was built to be the main entertainment center for Tricolor fans. The headquarters had an Olympic swimming pool, society football fields, a multipurpose court, and bars. It was used by the show house "Espetáculo," culminating in a partial abandonment of the club's activities (the club practically only rented the synthetic field). Still, at the end of 2010, Bahia's youth school was reactivated at the beach headquarters (Bahia had schools in other affiliated clubs), leaving the true future of the beach headquarters uncertain.

Bahia's beach headquarters became the property of the City Hall of Salvador due to execution of debts with IPTU and was transformed into a public square, completed in 2013. In 2015, the tangle regarding the beach headquarters was finalized with the delivery of the Transfer of Construction Right certificate (Transcons), valued at around 40 million in real estate currency. Of this value, 12 million reais settled the debts with the municipality of Salvador (IPTU, ISS, and demolition).

Home Grounds

Campo da Graça

Campo da Graça was the first stadium where Bahia played its matches. In addition to it, Galícia, Ypiranga, Botafogo, and Vitória also played there. Since its founding in 1931 until the inauguration of Fonte Nova in 1951, the Tricolor played and won several titles at this stadium, including the first title won by the Tricolor, the Torneio Início of 1931. It was there that the glorious journey of Bahia began, even hosting the first Ba-Vi in history, where the Tricolor won 3-0. With Fonte Nova, Campo da Graça lost space and the strength it had, succumbing to obsolescence and falling into oblivion. However, for older Bahian fans, the great moments lived at Campo da Graça will never leave their memories.

Some notable matches at Campo da Graça:

Ypiranga 2–0 (match of the Torneio Início da Bahia in 1931, the first match in Bahia's history, and the first Clássico das Multidões)
São Cristóvão 3–1 (match of the Campeonato Baiano de Futebol in 1931)
Ypiranga 6–2 (match of the Campeonato Baiano de Futebol in 1931)
Botafogo-BA 2–2 (match of the Campeonato Baiano de Futebol in 1933, the first Clássico do Pote)
Vitória 3–0 (match of the Campeonato Baiano de Futebol in 1932, the first Ba-Vi)
Botafogo-BA 6–2 (match of the Campeonato Baiano de Futebol in 1933)
Guarany-BA 9–0 (match of the Campeonato Baiano de Futebol in 1933)
Galícia 3–1 (match of the Campeonato Baiano de Futebol in 1934, the first Clássico das Cores)
Vitória 10–2 (match of the Campeonato Baiano de Futebol in 1938, historic Ba-Vi)
Vitória 10–1 (match of the Campeonato Baiano de Futebol in 1939, the largest victory in Ba-Vi history)

Estádio da Fonte Nova

With the inauguration of Fonte Nova in 1951, officially named Estádio Octávio Mangabeira, the major clubs in Salvador played their matches in the stadium: Bahia, Vitória, Galícia, Ypiranga, and Botafogo. There, Bahia attracted large crowds to its matches, creating a historical bond that was only broken with the closure of Fonte Nova after the tragic incident in the match against Vila Nova (during Bahia's campaign to return to Série B), when part of the stadium collapsed, resulting in 9 people falling, 7 of whom died. More than 30 were injured. After this incident, the government of the State of Bahia declared that the stadium would be demolished and rebuilt. The new arena was constructed on the site for the 2014 World Cup.

During the period between 1951 and 2007, however, Bahia has had glorious and sad moments at the stadium: the conquest of the Troféu Octávio Mangabeira, created to reward one of the teams from Salvador at the stadium's inauguration; the triumphant campaign that culminated in the conquest of the Taça Brasil in 1959; winning the majority of its 47 state titles, including the unprecedented heptacampeonato baiano exclusive to Bahia in the state; carrying out a flawless campaign that culminated in the conquest of the Campeonato Brasileiro de Futebol in 1988; relegation to the second division in 1997 and in 2003, and to the third division in 2005; and the achievement of returning to the second division in 2007.

Some notable matches at Fonte Nova were: