SC Internacional
Sport Club Internacional, commonly known as Internacional, Inter de Porto Alegre or simply Inter, is a Brazilian professional football club based in Porto Alegre. They play in the Série A, the first division of the Brazilian league, as well as in Campeonato Gaúcho Série A, the first level of the Rio Grande do Sul state football league. The team's home stadium, known as Estádio Beira-Rio, was one of the twelve 2014 FIFA World Cup venues and has a capacity of 50,128.
The club was founded in 1909 by the Poppe brothers, with the clear goal of being a democratic institution without prejudice. Its colors are red and white and its fans are known as Colorados. It is one of the most successful clubs in Brazil and the Americas, being the third club with the most international titles in Brazil, with seven trophies. Its historical rival is Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, with whom it contests the Grenal, one of the biggest derbies in world football.
Internacional is part of a large membership-based sports club with more than 140,000 associates. 2006 was the most successful year in Inter's history as they won the Copa Libertadores and the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time, defeating European champions Barcelona in the latter and Club World Cup reigning champions São Paulo in the former. Inter once again won the continental title in 2010.
Other major honours include the 1975, 1976, and 1979 Brazilian league titles, the latter being the only time a club has won the title undefeated, the 2007 and the 2011 Recopa Sudamericana, the 1992 Copa do Brasil, and the 2008 Copa Sudamericana.
History
Foundation and early years (1910s)
The Club's foundation can be attributed directly to three brothers: Henrique Poppe Leão, José Eduardo Poppe, and Luiz Madeira Poppe. They arrived in Porto Alegre from São Paulo around 1908, a period marked by the rising popularity of football across Brazil.The younger siblings, José and Luiz, had the desire to play football, a sport they learned to practice in São Paulo. Henrique, the older and influential brother, then orchestrated the creation of a new club.
The genesis of Sport Club Internacional is linked to the combination of diverse nationalities. In contrast to the other teams in Porto Alegre at the time, which primarily catered to descendants of Germans, Inter emerged as inclusive to various ethnic backgrounds. The speeches heard at the meetings always revolved around a very important principle for the Poppe family and those present there. Internacional was being created for Brazilians and foreigners, a clear reference to the discriminatory policies of the other two major existing clubs in Porto Alegre, Grêmio and Fuss-Ball.
The club's colors were inspired by the street carnaval of Porto Alegre. At the time there were two big carnaval organizations in the city, the green Esmeraldinos and the red Venezianos, after a vote the color red was chosen.
The area of Ilhota, once a humble neighborhood rich in cultural influence, served as the team's first ground. The football field on Rua Arlindo, now known as Sport Club Internacional Square, hosted the early training sessions of the team. Subsequently, this location became the venue for the Canela Preta League matches and also saw the emergence of one of Brazil's greatest football talents, the legendary Tesourinha. Because of frequent flooding in the neighborhood, the Club was compelled to relocate. Thus, in 1910, it moved to Campo da Várzea, now called Parque da Redenção.
The time at Bom Fim neighborhood wouldn't last long, though, and by 1912, Inter had leased Chácara dos Eucaliptos. Situated on an alley with an entrance on Rua da Azenha, this became Inter's inaugural exclusive playing venue. It was here that the club initiated its first series of victories, clinching the City Championship in 1913 and 1917.
Consolidation and first stadium (1920s–1930s)
In the 1920s, the second decade of the Colorado's history marked a turning point in the club's history. After the growth of the early years, Inter began to face significant challenges. On the field, few titles were won. Off the field, the situation was not favorable. In addition to financial difficulties, the Colorado almost lost its home, and there was a possibility of the Club closing down. Decisions needed to be made that would alter the course of the club's trajectory.Inter bounced back and strengthened itself, winning its first state title in 1927, initiating the construction of its first home stadium Estádio dos Eucaliptos and becoming even more popular, fully opening their doors to athletes from other leagues, including black people from Canela Preta league.
Inaugurated in 1931, in the Menino Deus neighborhood, the Eucaliptos Stadium would become the stage for many glories and the rise of Inter as the biggest club in southern Brazil. Growing increasingly as the "Clube do Povo", Inter began to identify even more with the humble classes of Gaúcho society, not only in the stands but also on the field. During this era, talented players like Sylvio Pirillo, hailing from Ilhota, and Tupan, who emerged from the Canela Preta league, were prominent. Inter was beginning to assemble the renowned "Rolo Compressor" team and signaled the impending dominance of Gaúcho football.
The Rolo Compressor era (1940s)
The 1940s marked the a golden decade for Internacional. It was characterized by the emergence of enduring idols, along with consistent dominance in the Gre-Nal derby. The Eucaliptos stadium consistently hosted large crowds. In that time, Vicente Rao, who founded the team's first ultra, and Charuto, an often drunk supporter who Luis Fernando Verissimo defined as "a Colorado in pure state", became symbolic fans who are still remembered today. The team of the time is often referred to as the "Rolo Compressor", Portuguese for "Steamroller", an expression coined by Rao for a team that had unparalleled success in Gaúcho football. The extremely offensive side played from 1939 to 1948 and won eight Rio Grande do Sul championships, and also achieved the first instance of a team winning the state championship six times in a row in Rio Grande do Sul.The reason for such superiority dated back to 1928, the year Inter started to have black players in their squad – something that was not allowed by rivals Grêmio until 1952. That decision ended up strengthening the team, which placed no restrictions. Before football became professional, however, most black players preferred to play in the Canela Preta league, which provided bonuses for participating athletes. When clubs began to professionalize and pay salaries, albeit low ones, more black athletes start accepting invitations to play for Internacional.
That team included some of the greatest football players in the club's history. Alfeu, Tesourinha, Abigail, Carlitos, Adãozinho, among others. The term "Rolo Compressor" was coined to represent Inter's power of "crushing the opposition" in their quest for victories. It showed the superiority of the team at that time.
The Rolinho days (1950s)
Supporters rallied behind the construction of the concrete bleachers of Eucaliptos Stadium in 1947, a project that extended until 1950. Similar to the earlier efforts during the construction of the stadium and later during the inauguration of Beira-Rio, it was the fans who mobilized resources and sought materials to enhance the Club's facilities. After that, the stadium hosted two matches of the FIFA World Cup in 1950 – Mexico vs Yugoslavia and Mexico vs Switzerland.On the pitch, Inter kept having success. The 1950s were marked by a squad of great players like Paulinho, Florindo, Oréco, Chinesinho, Odorico, Salvador, Jerônimo, Luizinho and Canhotinho, all led by the manager Teté in a team that would be called the "Rolinho" in allusion to the great team of the 1940s. The great stars of this period, however, were certainly the strikers Bodinho and Larry. Among the achievements of this decade are five state titles and a historic 6–2 victory against Grêmio in the inauguration of the Estádio Olímpico, the new home of the rival team. The quality of the team is also proven by the fact that Inter provided most of the squad for the Brazilian national team that won the 1956 Pan-American Games in Mexico.
Building the Beira-Rio (1960s)
The club spent three decades at the iconic Eucaliptos Stadium, renowned for its mystique, yet it eventually became inadequate for the club's growing needs. In the Sixties, the Eucaliptos was becoming small for the large fan base.Exactly in the year when the long-standing dominance of Inter in the Gaúcho football was coming to an end, 1956, the story of the construction of the Beira-Rio, began. On 12 September 1956, Councilman Ephraim Pinheiro Cabral, a man involved in football who had presided over Inter on several occasions, presented a project in the Porto Alegre City Council for the donation of an area that would be filled in the Guaíba River. In fact, Inter was gaining a piece of land within the water.
The Beira-Rio was largely built with the contribution of the fans, who brought bricks, cement, and iron for the construction, including from the countryside. In this regard, there were special radio programs to mobilize Internacional supporters throughout Rio Grande do Sul, but the 1960s were a challenging period for Inter in football, the Beira-Rio seemed like it would never be completed. Tired of the team's defeats at the nearby Eucaliptos Stadium, fans would go out to see the construction of the new stadium and to cheer for the construction workers.
Despite the scarce financial resources, primarily directed towards the construction of the Beira-Rio, Inter assembled good teams, relying on the talent of youngsters like Bráulio, Dorinho, and Pontes. In their first participation in a national competition, the Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa of 1967, Inter had a remarkable campaign, reaching the final phase and ultimately securing the runner-up position against Ademir da Guia's Palmeiras. The following year, the Colorado repeated their performance, narrowly missing out on the title, finishing just behind Pelé's Santos. Inter was beginning to establish itself among the top clubs in Brazil.
Finally, the Beira-Rio was inaugurated on Sunday, 6 April 1969, two days and 60 years after the foundation of Inter. The inaugural match was a 2–1 victory against Benfica from Portugal, which had Eusébio as its main star, Claudiomiro scored the first goal at the new stadium