Atlético-MG announced that it will carry out some actions in the club’s next game, Saturday (16), against Botafogo, at Arena MRV, in reference to the 1937 Brazilian Championship title, which was recently recognized by the CBF. Among these actions, there is the use of a patch on the shirt.
In Atlético’s announcement, it was not clear where the patch will be present on the shirt, but it bears the writing “Tri-champion Brazilian”, the image of the competition cup and the year 1937. There is also the presence of the three stars, which Galo will gradually implementing it into your visual identity.
Saturday is the day to find the #Roosterfill the @ArenaMRV and celebrate a great achievement in our history: the 1937 Brazilian title! To celebrate the recognition of the cup, several special actions will be carried out at our house before the match against Botafogo!
Yet… pic.twitter.com/Uy57KWtD7u
— Atlético (@Atletico) September 14, 2023
In the first match at Arena MRV, when Galo beat Santos 2-0, the club took a replica of the 1937 cup so that fans could celebrate the title recognized as Brazilian by the CBF.
What was the 1937 Brazilian Championship?
The 1937 Tournament of Champions is considered the first professional championship played in Brazil. The competition had six clubs, six of which were state champions in 1936: Aliança (Fluminense champion), Atlético (Mineiro champion), Fluminense (Carioca champion), Portuguesa (Paulista champion) and Rio Branco (Capixaba champion). Furthermore, the Brazilian Football Federation (FBF) also invited the Navy League to compete in the tournament.
In the preliminary phase of the competition, Aliança, Liga da Marinha and Rio Branco competed for a place in the final quadrangular. The team from Espírito Santo won. In the final phase, the teams faced each other in two rounds. With the victory worth two points, Atlético won four matches and drew one, totaling nine, three more than runners-up Fluminense. Therefore, Galo became champion of the tournament.
The newspapers of the time, such as Estado de Minas, treated the champion of the Tournament of Champions as the Brazilian Championship, citing in the headline of the following day’s newspaper: “Club Athletico Mineiro won the title of Brazilian Champion for Minas Gerais”. In 2010, when the CBF unified the Robertão and Taça Brasil titles as Brasileiros, the 37th title for Galo was also considered, but the club did not pursue it. In 2021, after winning the Brasileirão, president Sérgio Coelho began the journey to finally recognize this national tournament.
Now it’s Black and White: Check out the craft of @CBF_Futebolsigned by President Ednaldo Rodrigues, which recognizes the #Rooster as Brazilian Tri-Champion. #CAMpeãoOf37 #GALOTriCAMpeãoBrasileiro #GaloPaixãoNacional pic.twitter.com/isamDwq7tH
— Atlético (@Atletico) August 25, 2023
Atlético seeks contact with family members of champions
Because it is a very old title that was “forgotten” by many, Atlético did not maintain contact with several names from that time, consequently, it also does not have contact with the families of these players today. Because of this, the club started a campaign on social media to find the families of these athletes and further enrich the history of the 1937 title.
Help Rooster complete this lineup! If you know family members of the 1937 Brazilian champions, write to @galodigital. https://t.co/mG1hk5VFQp
— Atlético (@Atletico) September 14, 2023
Atlético became the first Brazilian champion again
For many years, Atlético was proud to be the first champion of the Brazilian Championship, as it won the 1971 edition, the first with that name, precisely against Botafogo, this Saturday’s opponent. However, this narrative fell apart when the CBF unified the Robertão/Taça Brasil titles, with Bahia, the 1959 champion, inheriting this nickname.
Now, with the recognition of the 1937 title, which is even in the club’s anthem, in the part “We are Champions of Champions, we are pride of national sport”, Atlético can once again say that it is the first Brazilian Champion.
Patch shouldn’t be the only news against Botafogo
The patch alluding to the 1937 Brazilian Championship should not be the only new feature that Atlético fans will see on the field against Botafogo. Galo intends to debut its new shirt, the third in the collection, which is predominantly black with yellow details. The uniform is in honor of the “change of home” of the black and white team, who left Independência and Mineirão to play at Arena MRV, his own home.