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CR Vasco da Gama

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Vasco da Gama
Club logo
Full nameClube de Regatas Vasco da Gama
Nickname(s)Gigante da Colina (Hill's Giant),
Bacalhau (Cod)
Founded1898
GroundSão Januário,
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Capacity31,000
ChairmanEurico Miranda
ManagerDário Lourenço
LeagueBrazilian Série A
2004Brazilian Série A, 15th

Vasco da Gama (after the famous Portuguese explorer of the same name) is a Brazilian football team from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, founded on August 21, 1898 (although the football dept started on November 5, 1915). It was founded by Portuguese immigrants, and it's still the team traditionally supported by the Portuguese community of Rio de Janeiro.

Their home stadium is the São Januário, capacity 31,000, but some games are played at the Maracanã (capacity 120,000). They play in white shirts with a black diagonal stripe that contains a Order of Christ cross, white shorts and white socks.

Vasco's distinctive role in the extinction of the odious racial discrimination that scourged Brazilian football in its beginnings is a reason for the fans to be proud of, and deserves special mention.

Its biggest rivals are from the same city: Fluminense, Botafogo and Flamengo, with the latter being it's biggest rival.

Although best known as a football club, Vasco da Gama is actually a comprehensive sports club. Its basketball section produced current NBA player Nenê.

Honours

History

Foundation

In the late 19th century rowing was the most important sport in Rio de Janeiro. On this time, four young men -Henrique Ferreira Monteiro, Luís Antônio Rodrigues, José Alexandre d `Avelar Rodrigues and Manuel Teixeira de Souza Júnior - that did not want to travel to Niterói to row with the boats of Gragoatá Club decided to found a rowing club.

On August 21, 1898 in a room of the Sons of Talma Dramatic Society, with 62 members (mostly Portuguese imigrants), the Clube de Regatas Vasco da Gama (Vasco da Gama Rowing Club) was born.

Inspired by the celebrations of the 4th centenary of the first sail from Europe to India, the founders chose the name of the Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama to baptise the new club.

Famous players