Santa Cruz Futebol Clube
Encyclopedia
Santa Cruz Futebol Clube, or simply Santa Cruz is a Brazil
ian football club in Recife
, Pernambuco
.
The first official meeting of the members was at 2 Mangueira St. In this meeting they decided the position of each member, the name of the club "Santa Cruz Foot-Ball Club", and society's colors.
The original colors were black and white. Some time after, the colour pattern was changed because another local team (Sport Club Flamengo
) already had those colors. Therefore the club included the red color by suggestion of Teófilo Batista de Carvalho, also known as Lacraia. Lacraia has participated in all major early events of Santa Cruz's history, except the foundation.
The first ball was bought with the financial support of José Luiz Vieira and cost 8,500 réis.
Many people came to see the first match at Derby plains. The "team of boys" as Santa Cruz was called at the time beat the Rio Negro (Black River) by 7-0. Rio Negro demanded revenge in another match. Curiously, the terms of the revenge stated that Sílvio Machado (he scored five goals in the first match) could not play. Despite of that, Santa Cruz accepted the trial. Carlindo, who substituted Sílvio Machado, scored six goals and Santa Cruz won again by 9-0. A subsequent victory over the Western Telegraph Company team, notorious at the time, made the popularity of Santa Cruz increase even more.
The club was almost closed in its very first year. Some members proposed to use the club funds to buy a sugarcane
juice extractor. Alexandre Carvalho (see members above) violently disapproved such an offensive proposal and saved the club. "Santa Cruz was born to live forever", he would have said.
In the beginning of the 20th century Recife, football was regarded as an elite sport. It was played mostly by upper class boys and by the workers of English companies that operated in Recife. At that time racism
was common and Afro-Brazilians were not allowed to play football. Santa Cruz, however, was the first team in Pernambuco to accept them. Lacraia, was the first one. This fact contributed to the popularity of the team, as black people are numerous in Brazilian population
.
In 1915, there was the greatest comeback ever seen in a football match in Brazil
. At the Aflitos
stadium, Santa Cruz was succumbing by a 5 - 1 score against América (Pernambuco), however it scored six goals in the final 15 minutes.
In 1917, the club was accepted into the Pernambucan Sport League, old name of the Pernambucan Football Federation
.
On January 30, 1919, Santa Cruz beat Botafogo
team of Rio de Janeiro
on the Malaquias field by 3-2. Alberto Santos-Dumont
, the airplane
pioneer, was in Recife
, but was unnoticed: Santa Cruz's victory took all attentions. On January 31, the Jornal Pequeno (Small Newspaper) printed in the headlines: "Botafogo Futebol Clube is beaten by the home boys by 3-2." It was the first time that a northern-northeastern team beat a team from the south-eastern region of Brazil.
On December 13, 1931, beating Torre by 2 - 0, Santa Cruz won its first state championship. Tará and Sherlock were the most important players.
On October 10, 1934, the Brazilian National team
, which had just arrived home from the 1934 Football World Cup in Italy
, played some friendly matches against the major teams of Pernambuco. Sport Club do Recife
was defeated by 4-2; Clube Náutico Capibaribe
was beaten by 8 - 3. Santa Cruz also was defeated by 3-1. Because of a ship delay, the Brazilian team could not continue its trip back to Rio de Janeiro
. That was sufficient to Santa Cruz ask a revenge. At this turn, Santa Cruz won by 3-2.
Much of that was due to the State Penta-championship that Santa Cruz conquered.
Moreover, since Santa Cruz showed impressive performances in the National championship, the importance of the club was finally recognized beyond the state of Pernambuco.
The participation of Santa Cruz in the National competition started to get some credibility in 1965. After beating Flamengo
by 3 x 1 in Maracanã
stadium, Santa Cruz started to get famous. The club obtained first place in the National Championship's first stage.
In 1972, Pelé
played his 1000th match against Santa Cruz.
In 1975, Santa Cruz reached the semifinals of the Brazilian National Championship
, a first for a northeastern team. The decisive semi-final match was against Cruzeiro
on December 7. In a controversial match, Cruzeiro won by 3 x 2. The final position was a fourth place (best performance in the National Championship).
In 1978 and 1979, Santa Cruz were unbeaten for 48 games in a row in the Brazilian Championship. That was the fourth greatest unbeaten run in the national competition ever. In the same year, Santa Cruz was the first team to qualify for the 2nd Stage of the National Championship, achieving 20 points. By the end of the competition, Santa Cruz was in fifth place.
Santa Cruz had the top scorer of the Pernambucan Championship
25 times up to 2011.
of the National Championship twice, in 1982 and 1989. Since then the club's performance in national competitions has declined.
In the early 1990s, Santa Cruz won three state championships: 1990, 1993, and 1995. However being in the second division of the National Championshiop often eclipsed such achievements.
Moreover, in the following years, Santa Cruz had to share the status of champion 5 times in a row with an arch-rival. Santa Cruz was not able to stop Sport
winning their 5th successive championship.
Nevertheless, in 1996, Maurício was the top scorer of the 2nd Division Brazilian Championship with 13 goals.
Since the final match in Campeonato Pernambucano
2006 vs. Sport, with which Sport won the championship, the team has experienced a new decline. It was demoted to Second Division
in 2006 and, followingly, to Third Division
in 2007 after a weak campaign. That latest decline also included elimination from Copa do Brasil
2007 and 2008 by weaker teams at the first round and the downfall into Hexagonal da Morte, the bottom six, in Campeonato Pernambucano 2008, escaping relegation in the seventh match.
Continuing the fall, in September 2008, after another weak campaign, this time in the Third Division, Santa Cruz was relegated to the Fourth Division
becoming the first club to fall from First Division to Fourth in three years.
But, in 2011, Santa Cruz started a reaction. The club was eliminated from Copa do Brasil
by São Paulo. Santa Cruz won the first game 1-0, but lost in the second game 2-0. On May 15, Santa Cruz won the Campeonato Pernambucano
. The final was 2-0 against Sport Recife
, and the Arruda
had the highest attendance in 2011 in Brazilian football, beating teams like Flamengo, from Rio de Janeiro, and Corinthians, from São Paulo.
.
Santa Cruz is also known as O Tricolor (The Tricolor) and its fans
as Tricolores.
The inclusion of red colour in the club patterns is also due to Lacraia.
As time passed, the crest design was modified and updated. However the Lacraia 's original concept was not much modified.
The current crest contains several stars. The top three-colored stars represent the three Super-championships that Santa Cruz won. The bottom golden stars represent the Penta-championship.
. The fans do not hesitate to call the team simply by Coral.
, a borough of Recife
. The official name of the stadium is Estádio José do Rego Maciel, after the name of a former mayor of Recife. However, it is widely known as Estádio do Arruda (Arruda Stadium). The fans call it Arrudão (Big Arruda) or Mundão do Arruda (Great Land of Arruda).
On April 1, 1982 the stadium was re-inaugurated after improvements and enlargement. From the original capacity of 64,000 people, the maximum capacity was then estimated at 110,000. However, due to safety reasons, the maximum audience so far is 90,200 in a Brazil
vs Argentina
match on March 23, 1994. Since then the official stadium capacity has been reduced to 60,044.
The stadium is also known as the Repúblicas Independentes do Arruda (Independent Republics of Arruda).
is usually divided into three turns. Each turn is a small championship itself. If a team wins all the three turns then it is automatically declared as champion. If a team wins two turns and another team wins the remaining turn, the championship has a final playoff. Generally, the playoff consists of two matches or three matches. However, if three different teams win each one a turn, the championship has a playoff named Super-championship. The Super-championship consists of a playoff among the three winners of each turn. Super-championships are rare and very prestigious.
The Blue Ribbon.
The Blue Ribbon is a prestigious award given by the Brazilian Football Confederation
(Confederação Brasileira de Futebol - CBF).
Teams that go abroad on tour without being defeated are natural candidates for this recognition.
In the Middle East
, Santa Cruz played against the national teams of
Santa Cruz also matched
In Europe
there were two matches. The first one was against Romania national team
(2-4), and the last game against Paris Saint-Germain
(2-2).
Norberto, Reginaldo, Birunga, Zé Júlio, Ari, Zito, Luciano, Fernando Santana, Facó, Mirobaldo, Nivaldo, Vila Nova, Cuíca, Rubens Salim, Givanildo, Aloísio Linhares, Naércio, Joel, Rivaldo, Gena, Antonino, Souza, Ramon, Erb, Derivaldo, Batista, Cabral, Zinho, Osvaldo, Telino, Adílson, Cassiano, Uriel, Vályer, Lourival, Botinha, Pogito, Miruca, Betinho, Ferreira, Sapatão, Zé Carlos Olímpico, and Bita.
Carlos Alberto Barbosa, Vacil, and Pedrinho (wingers);
Alfredo Santos and Paranhos (backs);
Givanildo, Deinha, Jadir, Betinho, and Gonçalves (midfielders);
Volney, Neinha, Zé Roberto, Lula (forwards/strikers);
Evaristo de Macêdo (coach).
) take football passionately.
Santa Cruz has two major rivals within the state:
The rivalry between Santa Cruz and Sport Recife is known as Clássico das Multidões, and the rivalry between Santa Cruz and Náutico is known as Clássico das Emoções
.
Tará was topscorer of the Pernambucan Championship twice (25 goals in 1938 and 20 goals in 1940).
Givanildo, Fumanchu, Levir Culpi, Nunes
, Carlos Alberto, and Ramón were heroes in the 1970s. In the 1973 Brazilian Championship, Ramón was the topscorer with 21 goals.
Birigui was one of Santa Cruz's greatest idols ever. For more than 10 years, he was the main goalkeeper of Santa Cruz. He is one of the 1986-87 State Bi-champions. Much of the success of the team in those campaigns can be credited to Birigui's remarkable performance.
Zé do Carmo had an important role in the 1980s and early 1990s.
In 1989, Rivaldo
started his professional career in junior divisions of Santa Cruz FC.
Ricardo Rocha, World Cup
champion in 1994, began his career in Santa Cruz. He also was coach of Santa Cruz's professional team without, however, the same success as a player.
In the late 1990s, Nílson (goalkeeper) achieved great popularity. The fans used to call him Paredão (Great Wall).
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian football club in Recife
Recife
Recife is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Brazil with 4,136,506 inhabitants, the largest metropolitan area of the North/Northeast Regions, the 5th-largest metropolitan influence area in Brazil, and the capital and largest city of the state of Pernambuco. The population of the city proper...
, Pernambuco
Pernambuco
Pernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...
.
Early history
On February 3, 1914, eleven young men aging from 14 to 16 years founded a football society. Because the boys used to play football on the streets by the yard of the Santa Cruz Church, the club was named after that church, which is situated on Santa Cruz Street in Recife.The first official meeting of the members was at 2 Mangueira St. In this meeting they decided the position of each member, the name of the club "Santa Cruz Foot-Ball Club", and society's colors.
The original colors were black and white. Some time after, the colour pattern was changed because another local team (Sport Club Flamengo
Sport Club Flamengo
Sport Club Flamengo, commonly known as Flamengo, were a Brazilian football team from Recife, Pernambuco state. They won the first edition of the Campeonato Pernambucano.-History:...
) already had those colors. Therefore the club included the red color by suggestion of Teófilo Batista de Carvalho, also known as Lacraia. Lacraia has participated in all major early events of Santa Cruz's history, except the foundation.
The first ball was bought with the financial support of José Luiz Vieira and cost 8,500 réis.
Many people came to see the first match at Derby plains. The "team of boys" as Santa Cruz was called at the time beat the Rio Negro (Black River) by 7-0. Rio Negro demanded revenge in another match. Curiously, the terms of the revenge stated that Sílvio Machado (he scored five goals in the first match) could not play. Despite of that, Santa Cruz accepted the trial. Carlindo, who substituted Sílvio Machado, scored six goals and Santa Cruz won again by 9-0. A subsequent victory over the Western Telegraph Company team, notorious at the time, made the popularity of Santa Cruz increase even more.
The club was almost closed in its very first year. Some members proposed to use the club funds to buy a sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
juice extractor. Alexandre Carvalho (see members above) violently disapproved such an offensive proposal and saved the club. "Santa Cruz was born to live forever", he would have said.
In the beginning of the 20th century Recife, football was regarded as an elite sport. It was played mostly by upper class boys and by the workers of English companies that operated in Recife. At that time racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
was common and Afro-Brazilians were not allowed to play football. Santa Cruz, however, was the first team in Pernambuco to accept them. Lacraia, was the first one. This fact contributed to the popularity of the team, as black people are numerous in Brazilian population
Demographics of Brazil
Brazils population is very diverse, comprising many races and ethnic groups. In general, Brazilians trace their origins from four sources: Amerindians, Europeans, Africans and Asians....
.
In 1915, there was the greatest comeback ever seen in a football match in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. At the Aflitos
Estádio dos Aflitos
Estádio Eládio de Barros Carvalho, also known as Estádio dos Aflitos, is a football stadium located in Recife, Brazil. The stadium was built in 1939 and is able to hold 20,000 people....
stadium, Santa Cruz was succumbing by a 5 - 1 score against América (Pernambuco), however it scored six goals in the final 15 minutes.
In 1917, the club was accepted into the Pernambucan Sport League, old name of the Pernambucan Football Federation
Federação Pernambucana de Futebol
Federação Pernambucana de Futebol , once named Liga Esportiva Pernambucana , organizes and administrates the Campeonato Pernambucano , the Copa Pernambuco and the Pernambucan Football Championship lower levels)....
.
On January 30, 1919, Santa Cruz beat Botafogo
Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas
Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas , also known as Botafogo and familiarly as Estrela Solitária, is a Brazilian sports club based in Botafogo, neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, best known for its football team. They play in the Campeonato Carioca, Rio de Janeiro's state league, and the Campeonato...
team of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
on the Malaquias field by 3-2. Alberto Santos-Dumont
Alberto Santos-Dumont
Alberto Santos-Dumont , was a Brazilian early pioneer of aviation. The heir of a wealthy family of coffee producers, Santos Dumont dedicated himself to science studies in Paris, France, where he spent most of his adult life....
, the airplane
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
pioneer, was in Recife
Recife
Recife is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Brazil with 4,136,506 inhabitants, the largest metropolitan area of the North/Northeast Regions, the 5th-largest metropolitan influence area in Brazil, and the capital and largest city of the state of Pernambuco. The population of the city proper...
, but was unnoticed: Santa Cruz's victory took all attentions. On January 31, the Jornal Pequeno (Small Newspaper) printed in the headlines: "Botafogo Futebol Clube is beaten by the home boys by 3-2." It was the first time that a northern-northeastern team beat a team from the south-eastern region of Brazil.
On December 13, 1931, beating Torre by 2 - 0, Santa Cruz won its first state championship. Tará and Sherlock were the most important players.
On October 10, 1934, the Brazilian National team
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
, which had just arrived home from the 1934 Football World Cup in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, played some friendly matches against the major teams of Pernambuco. Sport Club do Recife
Sport Club do Recife
Sport Club do Recife, more popularly known as Sport in Recife or Sport Recife in Northeastern Brazil, is a football team from Recife, Pernambuco.-1905 - Foundation:...
was defeated by 4-2; Clube Náutico Capibaribe
Clube Náutico Capibaribe
Clube Náutico Capibaribe, also known as Náutico, is a Brazilian sports club, including a professional football team, in Recife, Pernambuco....
was beaten by 8 - 3. Santa Cruz also was defeated by 3-1. Because of a ship delay, the Brazilian team could not continue its trip back to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
. That was sufficient to Santa Cruz ask a revenge. At this turn, Santa Cruz won by 3-2.
Glorious years
During the late 1960s and the 1970s, Santa Cruz achieved great popularity.Much of that was due to the State Penta-championship that Santa Cruz conquered.
Moreover, since Santa Cruz showed impressive performances in the National championship, the importance of the club was finally recognized beyond the state of Pernambuco.
The participation of Santa Cruz in the National competition started to get some credibility in 1965. After beating Flamengo
Clube de Regatas do Flamengo
Clube de Regatas do Flamengo , also known as Flamengo and familiarly as Mengão, is a Brazilian sports club based in the Flamengo bairro, Zona Sul, Rio de Janeiro, best known for its professional football team...
by 3 x 1 in Maracanã
Estádio do Maracanã
The Estádio do Maracanã , officially Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, is an open-air stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Owned by the Rio de Janeiro State Government, it is named after the Maracanã neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro. It was opened in 1950 to host the FIFA World Cup, and in the final...
stadium, Santa Cruz started to get famous. The club obtained first place in the National Championship's first stage.
In 1972, Pelé
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
played his 1000th match against Santa Cruz.
In 1975, Santa Cruz reached the semifinals of the Brazilian National Championship
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
The Campeonato Brasileiro de Clubes da Série A , popularly known as the Brasileirão , is a professional football league at the top of the Brazilian football league system held annually since 1959. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the Série B...
, a first for a northeastern team. The decisive semi-final match was against Cruzeiro
Cruzeiro Esporte Clube
Cruzeiro Esporte Clube is a Brazilian football team, from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, and are one of the only five clubs to have never been relegated, along with Santos, São Paulo, Flamengo and Internacional. Founded on January 2, 1921, they are only one of three clubs to have participated in...
on December 7. In a controversial match, Cruzeiro won by 3 x 2. The final position was a fourth place (best performance in the National Championship).
In 1978 and 1979, Santa Cruz were unbeaten for 48 games in a row in the Brazilian Championship. That was the fourth greatest unbeaten run in the national competition ever. In the same year, Santa Cruz was the first team to qualify for the 2nd Stage of the National Championship, achieving 20 points. By the end of the competition, Santa Cruz was in fifth place.
Santa Cruz had the top scorer of the Pernambucan Championship
Campeonato Pernambucano
The Campeonato Pernambucano de Futebol is the football championship of Pernambuco state, Brazil, and is organized by the Pernambuco Football Federation....
25 times up to 2011.
Decline
During the 1980s, Santa Cruz was demoted to the Second DivisionCampeonato Brasileiro Série B
The Série B is the second division of Brazilian football. It is played by 20 teams. However, the competition format has changed almost every year since it first occurred, in 1971. In some years, it was not played altogether...
of the National Championship twice, in 1982 and 1989. Since then the club's performance in national competitions has declined.
In the early 1990s, Santa Cruz won three state championships: 1990, 1993, and 1995. However being in the second division of the National Championshiop often eclipsed such achievements.
Moreover, in the following years, Santa Cruz had to share the status of champion 5 times in a row with an arch-rival. Santa Cruz was not able to stop Sport
Sport Club do Recife
Sport Club do Recife, more popularly known as Sport in Recife or Sport Recife in Northeastern Brazil, is a football team from Recife, Pernambuco.-1905 - Foundation:...
winning their 5th successive championship.
Nevertheless, in 1996, Maurício was the top scorer of the 2nd Division Brazilian Championship with 13 goals.
Since the final match in Campeonato Pernambucano
Campeonato Pernambucano
The Campeonato Pernambucano de Futebol is the football championship of Pernambuco state, Brazil, and is organized by the Pernambuco Football Federation....
2006 vs. Sport, with which Sport won the championship, the team has experienced a new decline. It was demoted to Second Division
Campeonato Brasileiro Série B
The Série B is the second division of Brazilian football. It is played by 20 teams. However, the competition format has changed almost every year since it first occurred, in 1971. In some years, it was not played altogether...
in 2006 and, followingly, to Third Division
Campeonato Brasileiro Série C
The Campeonato Brasileiro Série C is the third division of Brazilian football.Unlike the first and second divisions, the Série C is not played in a double round robin system, arguably because many participating teams lack the financial conditions to travel long distances...
in 2007 after a weak campaign. That latest decline also included elimination from Copa do Brasil
Copa do Brasil
The Copa Kia do Brasil, commonly known as Copa do Brasil , is a knockout competition played by 64 association football teams, representing all 26 Brazilian states plus the Federal District...
2007 and 2008 by weaker teams at the first round and the downfall into Hexagonal da Morte, the bottom six, in Campeonato Pernambucano 2008, escaping relegation in the seventh match.
Continuing the fall, in September 2008, after another weak campaign, this time in the Third Division, Santa Cruz was relegated to the Fourth Division
Campeonato Brasileiro Série D
The Campeonato Brasileiro Série D is the fourth tier of the Brazilian football, and it was announced by Brazilian Football Confederation on April 9, 2008. Campeonato Brasileiro Série D was formed from the split of Série C, keeping its best 20 clubs and playing double round robin, like the top...
becoming the first club to fall from First Division to Fourth in three years.
But, in 2011, Santa Cruz started a reaction. The club was eliminated from Copa do Brasil
Copa do Brasil
The Copa Kia do Brasil, commonly known as Copa do Brasil , is a knockout competition played by 64 association football teams, representing all 26 Brazilian states plus the Federal District...
by São Paulo. Santa Cruz won the first game 1-0, but lost in the second game 2-0. On May 15, Santa Cruz won the Campeonato Pernambucano
Campeonato Pernambucano
The Campeonato Pernambucano de Futebol is the football championship of Pernambuco state, Brazil, and is organized by the Pernambuco Football Federation....
. The final was 2-0 against Sport Recife
Sport Club do Recife
Sport Club do Recife, more popularly known as Sport in Recife or Sport Recife in Northeastern Brazil, is a football team from Recife, Pernambuco.-1905 - Foundation:...
, and the Arruda
Estádio do Arruda
Estádio José do Rego Maciel, also known as Estádio do Arruda, is a multi-purpose stadium in Recife, Brazil. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium was built in 1972 and is able to hold 60,044 people. Estádio do Arruda is owned by Santa Cruz Futebol Clube...
had the highest attendance in 2011 in Brazilian football, beating teams like Flamengo, from Rio de Janeiro, and Corinthians, from São Paulo.
Colors
The original colors of the club were black and white. However, at that time, the Pernambucan Sport League did not allow the participation of different clubs with the same colors. Thus, the red color was introduced to differentiate from the color pattern of Flamengo of ArcoverdeArcoverde
Arcoverde is a municipality in Pernambuco, Brazil. It's located in the mesoregion of Sertão Pernambucano . Arcoverde has a total area of 353.4 square kilometers and had an estimated population of 68.000 inhabitants in 2009 according with IBGE.-Geography:* State - Pernambuco* Region - Sertao...
.
Santa Cruz is also known as O Tricolor (The Tricolor) and its fans
as Tricolores.
Crest
The original crest (not depicted here) was designed by Teófilo Batista de Carvalho aka Lacraia.The inclusion of red colour in the club patterns is also due to Lacraia.
The current crest contains several stars. The top three-colored stars represent the three Super-championships that Santa Cruz won. The bottom golden stars represent the Penta-championship.
Mascot
With the adoption of three colors, the striped jersey of Santa Cruz resembled a Coral snakeCoral snake
The coral snakes are a large group of elapid snakes that can be subdivided into two distinct groups, Old World coral snakes and New World coral snakes...
. The fans do not hesitate to call the team simply by Coral.
Anthem
The official anthem of the club is widely unknown by the fans. However, a march named O Mais Querido (The Dearest One) by Lourenço da Fonseca Barbosa (Capiba) is very popular and is the de facto anthem.Stadium
The team's stadium is in ArrudaEstádio do Arruda
Estádio José do Rego Maciel, also known as Estádio do Arruda, is a multi-purpose stadium in Recife, Brazil. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium was built in 1972 and is able to hold 60,044 people. Estádio do Arruda is owned by Santa Cruz Futebol Clube...
, a borough of Recife
Recife
Recife is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Brazil with 4,136,506 inhabitants, the largest metropolitan area of the North/Northeast Regions, the 5th-largest metropolitan influence area in Brazil, and the capital and largest city of the state of Pernambuco. The population of the city proper...
. The official name of the stadium is Estádio José do Rego Maciel, after the name of a former mayor of Recife. However, it is widely known as Estádio do Arruda (Arruda Stadium). The fans call it Arrudão (Big Arruda) or Mundão do Arruda (Great Land of Arruda).
On April 1, 1982 the stadium was re-inaugurated after improvements and enlargement. From the original capacity of 64,000 people, the maximum capacity was then estimated at 110,000. However, due to safety reasons, the maximum audience so far is 90,200 in a Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
vs Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
match on March 23, 1994. Since then the official stadium capacity has been reduced to 60,044.
The stadium is also known as the Repúblicas Independentes do Arruda (Independent Republics of Arruda).
Achievements
- Campeonato PernambucanoCampeonato PernambucanoThe Campeonato Pernambucano de Futebol is the football championship of Pernambuco state, Brazil, and is organized by the Pernambuco Football Federation....
(Pernambuco State Championship): 25
-
- 1931, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1940, 1946, 1947, 1957, 1959, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1995, 2005, 2011
- Copa Pernambuco: 3
-
- 2008, 2009, 2010
- Supercampeonato Pernambucano (Pernambuco Superchampionship): 3
-
- 1957, 1976, 1983
- Torneio Início (Pernambuco Start Tournament): 12
-
- 1919, 1926, 1937, 1939, 1946, 1947, 1954, 1956, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1976
The Super-Championship
The Pernambucan Football ChampionshipCampeonato Pernambucano
The Campeonato Pernambucano de Futebol is the football championship of Pernambuco state, Brazil, and is organized by the Pernambuco Football Federation....
is usually divided into three turns. Each turn is a small championship itself. If a team wins all the three turns then it is automatically declared as champion. If a team wins two turns and another team wins the remaining turn, the championship has a final playoff. Generally, the playoff consists of two matches or three matches. However, if three different teams win each one a turn, the championship has a playoff named Super-championship. The Super-championship consists of a playoff among the three winners of each turn. Super-championships are rare and very prestigious.
The Blue Ribbon.
The Blue Ribbon is a prestigious award given by the Brazilian Football Confederation
Brazilian Football Confederation
The Brazilian Football Confederation is the governing body of football in Brazil. It was founded on June 8, 1914, as Confederação Brasileira de Desportos , meaning Brazilian Sports Confederation. Its first president was Álvaro Zamith. It organizes the Brazilian national competitions, like...
(Confederação Brasileira de Futebol - CBF).
Teams that go abroad on tour without being defeated are natural candidates for this recognition.
In the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, Santa Cruz played against the national teams of
- KuwaitKuwait national football teamThe Kuwait National Football Team is the national team of Kuwait and is controlled by the Kuwait Football Association. They made one World Cup Finals appearance, in 1982, managing a draw with Czechoslovakia but losing to England and France. During the match against France, France scored a goal...
(1-5 and 1-1) - BahrainBahrain national football teamThe Bahrain national football team is the national team of the Kingdom of Bahrain and is controlled by the Bahrain Football Association; it was founded in 1951 and joined FIFA in 1966. They have never reached the finals of the World Cup, but have twice come within one match of doing so...
(0-3) - QatarQatar national football teamThe Qatar national football team is the national team of Qatar and is controlled by the Qatar Football Association. They have never qualified for a FIFA World Cup but are hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The team has also appeared in seven AFC Asian Cup tournaments and hosted the 2011 AFC Asian...
(0-4 and 1-4) - DubaiDubaiDubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
(one of the Arab EmiratesUnited Arab EmiratesThe United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
) (1-2) - Abu DhabiAbu DhabiAbu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
(one of the Arab EmiratesUnited Arab EmiratesThe United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
) (0-3)
Santa Cruz also matched
- Al-Aim (0-3)
- Nasser Sport Club (2-6)
- Alhilal of Saudi ArabiaSaudi ArabiaThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
(0-3)
In Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
there were two matches. The first one was against Romania national team
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
(2-4), and the last game against Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain FC
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club , also known simply as Paris Saint-Germain and familiarly as Paris SG or PSG , is a professional association football club based in Paris, France. The club was founded on 12 August 1970, thanks to the merger of Paris FC and Stade Saint-Germain...
(2-2).
1914 first team
Waldemar Monteiro; Abelardo Costa and Humberto Barreto; Raimundo Diniz, Osvaldo Ramos, and José Bonfim; Quintino Miranda, Sílvio Machado, José Vieira, Augusto Ramos, and Osvaldo Ferreira.1931 Championship team
Dada, Sherlock, and Fernando; Doía, Julinho, and Zezé; Walfrido, Aluízio, Neves, Tará, Lauro, and Estevão. Also João Martins and Popó.1957 Super-Championship team
Aníbal, Diogo and Sidney; Zequinha, Aldemar and Edinho; Lanzoninho, Faustino, Rudimar, Mituca and Jorginho. Coach: Alfredo Gonzalez.1969-1973 Penta-Championship heroes
Detinho, Gilberto, and Pedrinho;Norberto, Reginaldo, Birunga, Zé Júlio, Ari, Zito, Luciano, Fernando Santana, Facó, Mirobaldo, Nivaldo, Vila Nova, Cuíca, Rubens Salim, Givanildo, Aloísio Linhares, Naércio, Joel, Rivaldo, Gena, Antonino, Souza, Ramon, Erb, Derivaldo, Batista, Cabral, Zinho, Osvaldo, Telino, Adílson, Cassiano, Uriel, Vályer, Lourival, Botinha, Pogito, Miruca, Betinho, Ferreira, Sapatão, Zé Carlos Olímpico, and Bita.
1972 inaugurative match of the Arruda Stadium
Detinho (goalkeeper); Ferreira, Sapatão, Rivaldo, and Cabral (Botinha) (backs and wingers); Erb and Luciano (midfielders); Cuíca (Beto), Santana (Zito), Ramon, and Betinho (forwards/strikers).1976 Super-Championship team
Gilberto, Carlos Alberto Barbosa, Alfredo Santos, Levir, and Pedrinho; Givanildo (Ricardo), (Lula) and Jandir; Betinho, Nunes, Volne, and Pio. Also: Picasso, Orlando, Carlos Alberto Rodrigues, Mazinho, and Marquinhos.1980 Blue Ribbon team
Joel Mendes and Cláudio (goalkeepers);Carlos Alberto Barbosa, Vacil, and Pedrinho (wingers);
Alfredo Santos and Paranhos (backs);
Givanildo, Deinha, Jadir, Betinho, and Gonçalves (midfielders);
Volney, Neinha, Zé Roberto, Lula (forwards/strikers);
Evaristo de Macêdo (coach).
1983 Super-Championship team
Luiz Neto, Ricardo, Gomes, Édson Furquim, and Almeida; Zé do Carmo, Henágio e Ângelo; Gabriel, Django, and Peu. Birigui, Marco Antônio, Henrique, Ivan, and Bebeto. Coach: Carlos Alberto Silva.Rivals
Pernambucans (people of the state of PernambucoPernambuco
Pernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...
) take football passionately.
Santa Cruz has two major rivals within the state:
- SportSport Club do RecifeSport Club do Recife, more popularly known as Sport in Recife or Sport Recife in Northeastern Brazil, is a football team from Recife, Pernambuco.-1905 - Foundation:...
- NáuticoClube Náutico CapibaribeClube Náutico Capibaribe, also known as Náutico, is a Brazilian sports club, including a professional football team, in Recife, Pernambuco....
The rivalry between Santa Cruz and Sport Recife is known as Clássico das Multidões, and the rivalry between Santa Cruz and Náutico is known as Clássico das Emoções
Clássico das Emoções
Clássico das Emoções in Portuguese or The Derby of the Emotions in English, it is the regional name used in Pernambuco for the football game between Clube Náutico Capibaribe versus Santa Cruz Futebol Clube...
.
Current squad
Great players
The first football idol was Zé Bonfim.Tará was topscorer of the Pernambucan Championship twice (25 goals in 1938 and 20 goals in 1940).
Givanildo, Fumanchu, Levir Culpi, Nunes
Nunes (footballer)
João Batista Nunes de Oliveira is a former Brazilian football striker.Nunes became a football player in 1969, at 14 years old, playing for Flamengo's youth team. Reject by the club in 1974, at 19, he left Rio de Janeiro towards Aracaju to start his professional career at Confiança...
, Carlos Alberto, and Ramón were heroes in the 1970s. In the 1973 Brazilian Championship, Ramón was the topscorer with 21 goals.
Birigui was one of Santa Cruz's greatest idols ever. For more than 10 years, he was the main goalkeeper of Santa Cruz. He is one of the 1986-87 State Bi-champions. Much of the success of the team in those campaigns can be credited to Birigui's remarkable performance.
Zé do Carmo had an important role in the 1980s and early 1990s.
In 1989, Rivaldo
Rivaldo
Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira , commonly known simply as Rivaldo , is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for São Paulo, on loan from Mogi Mirim, as an attacking midfielder and sometimes as a supporting striker.He most notably played five years with Spanish club FC Barcelona, with whom he...
started his professional career in junior divisions of Santa Cruz FC.
Ricardo Rocha, World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
champion in 1994, began his career in Santa Cruz. He also was coach of Santa Cruz's professional team without, however, the same success as a player.
In the late 1990s, Nílson (goalkeeper) achieved great popularity. The fans used to call him Paredão (Great Wall).
Presidents
- James Thorp
- Aristófanes de Andrade
- José Inojosa
- Jonas Alvarenga
External links
- Official Site
- RSSSF Brazil - Full listings with the historical results of the Pernambucan Championship.