| Full name | Sport Club do Recife | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Leão (Lion), Papai da Cidade (City Daddy), O Leão da Ilha (The Lion of the Island), Leão do Norte (Northern Lion) |
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| Founded | May 13, 1905 | |||
| Ground | Ilha do Retiro, Recife (Capacity: 35,000) |
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| President | Gustavo Dubeux | |||
| Head coach | Mazola Junior | |||
| League | Campeonato Brasileiro Série A | |||
| 2011 | Campeonato Brasileiro Série B, 4th (promoted) | |||
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Sport Club do Recife, more popularly known as Sport in Recife or Sport Recife in Northeastern Brazil, is a football team from Recife, Pernambuco.
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On May 13, 23 Náutico players gathered at the local Trade Workers Association (Associação dos Empregados do Comércio), founded a new club, and chose Guilherme de Aquino Fonseca as its first President. Club meetings took place for a while at the Association's main hall. At that time Nautico didn't accept black people in the team, and Guilherme and his friends didn't agree with this, so they founded Sport Club do Recife.
The same year Sport played their first football match against a team called English Eleven. The match ended in a draw, with Torquato Gonçalves scoring the first goal for the newly created club. The club's starting eleven were L. F. Lathan; L. Parrot and E. Nosworthy; A. G. Silva, Colander and Ramiro; Guilherme Fonseca, Coimbra, Alberto Amorim, J. Gonçalves and Torquatro Gonçalves.
After the local league was created, Sport Club do Recife took part for the first time, and won the Pernambuco state championship of 1916. The final match was played on December 16, and Sport defeated Santa Cruz 4-1 (with goals from Mota (2), Asdrúbal, and Vasconcelos).
Sport's squad that year was Cavalcanti, Briant and Paulino; Town, Robson and Smerthurst; Asdrúbal, Mota, Anagam, Vasconcelos and Smith.
During the 1950 FIFA World Cup, Sport's stadium, Ilha do Retiro, hosted the match between Chile and the United States. Chile won 5-2. It was the only World Cup match played in Pernambuco.
Sport were named 1987 national champions by CBF, after Copa União winners and runner-ups Flamengo and Internacional, backed by the Club of 13, declined to play in a run-off organized by the CBF between the best two teams in the Copa União and the best two in a tournament between those teams that had been excluded from the new league. Sport then went on to beat Guarani at home by 1-0, after drawing 1-1 in Campinas.
In 2006, after five years in Série B (the Brazilian second division), Sport Club do Recife finished second with an 18-10-10 record. Sport had the same number of points as state rivals Náutico, but a better goal difference (+21 against +16), and thus were promoted to the elite division. The Pernambuco side played in Série A from 2007 to 2009.
On June 11, 2008, Sport Club do Recife became the first club from Northeastern Brazil to win the Copa do Brasil, a knock-out tournament along the lines of European national cups.
Previous to the finals, Sport had beaten traditional powerhouses of Brazilian football including Internacional, Palmeiras, and Vasco da Gama. In the final round, Sport was defeated by Corinthians in the Morumbi 3-1, but became champions on the away goal rule, after beating Corinthians 2-0 in Recife.
The finals were marred by controversy when Sport directors and fans alleged the media from Southeastern Brazil took sides with Corinthians, with some commentators, mainly from Rede Globo, even booing when Sport scored the first goal.
Sport's main rivals are the other two main sides in Recife, Náutico and Santa Cruz.
Náutico is the oldest club in Recife, and Sport is second only to Náutico. A derby between the two clubs is called the "Clássico dos Clássicos" (Derby of all Derbies).
Sport and Santa Cruz are the two most popular football clubs in Pernambuco, so matches between the two sides are called the "Clássico das Multidões" (Derby of the Masses).
Sport's first derby against Náutico was played in 1909, with an attendance of around 4,000 people.
The team also claims to have rivals outside its region, mainly Flamengo due to the Copa União controversy. Due to a series of recent important matches, local supporters regarded both Palmeiras and Corinthians as Sport rivals for a time. Those claims notwithstanding, neither Flamengo, Palmeiras or Corinthians supporters consider Sport to be a major rival.
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Sport Recife's stadium is Estádio Ilha do Retiro, inaugurated in 1937, with a maximum capacity of 35,000 people.
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