 Atlético Mineiro's delegation was welcomed by a large crowd inBelo Horizonte upon its return from the tour | |
| In West Germany | |
|---|---|
| Game one | 1860 Munich 3–4 Atlético Mineiro |
| Game two | Hamburg 0–4 Atlético Mineiro |
| Game three | Werder Bremen 3–1 Atlético Mineiro |
| Game four | Schalke 04 1–3 Atlético Mineiro |
| Game five | Eintracht Braunschweig 3–3 Atlético Mineiro |
| In Austria | |
| Game six | Rapid Wien 3–0 Atlético Mineiro |
| In Belgium | |
| Game seven | Anderlecht 1–2 Atlético Mineiro |
| In Luxembourg | |
| Game eight | Union Luxembourg 3–3 Atlético Mineiro |
| In France (includingSarre) | |
| Game nine | 1.FC Saarbrücken 0–2 Atlético Mineiro |
| Game ten | Stade Français 1–2 Atlético Mineiro |
The1950 Atlético Mineiro European tour was an episode in thehistory of Clube Atlético Mineiro, an association football club based inBelo Horizonte, Brazil, in which it played a series of friendlyfootball matches against clubs in Europe, becoming the first club ofMinas Gerais and also the first Brazilian at professional level to compete in that continent.[1]
Atlético Mineiro played ten matches on European soil from 1 November to 7 December 1950, touring throughWest Germany (where it took part in a Winter Tournament), Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg and France (including theSaar Protectorate). The Brazilian team won six matches, lost two and tied the remaining, scoring 24 goals and conceding 18.[2]
Having occurred at a time when neither national competitions in Brazil nor continental in South America exist, and in the wake of the traumaticMaracanazo, the tour and Atlético's results, many of which achieved under adverse weather conditions and snow, were seen by national sports media at the time as a historic achievement forBrazilian football.[3][4]
In 1950, a commission formed by theGerman Football Association traveled to Brazil to choose a football club to a series of friendly matches in Germany against some of the country's club sides.[5] The recency of both theMaracanazo, a traumatic event for Brazilian football, andWorld War II, in which Germany and Brazil were at opposite sides, may have made clubs fromRio de Janeiro andSão Paulo, then the footballing centres of the country, refuse participation in the friendly tour.[6] Eventually Atlético Mineiro, thenstate league champion ofMinas Gerais, was selected. Canor Simões, a journalist and sports director of the time, was credited as influential in the choice.[4][7]
Atlético Mineiro's delegation arrived inFrankfurt on 27 October, where it was welcomed by German sports media, as it was the first time a Brazilian club played in the country.[8] From there, the team traveled toMunich, where it played its first match against1860 München, fromOberliga Süd, on 1 November. The match was played at theGrünwalder Stadion, with 35,000 spectators, under a misty and cool weather, and Atlético won 4–3.Hamburg was the team's second stop, where it defeatedOberliga Nord winnerHamburger SV 4–0 in front of 20,000 people at theRothenbaum, on 4 November. Only 24 hours later, Atlético Mineiro travelled toBremen, and suffered the tour's first defeat: 1–3 toWerder (that also played in the Oberliga Nord) at theWeserstadion, with an attendance of 26,000.[8] A one-week rest followed, after which the team traveled toGelsenkirchen.Schalke 04, which went on to winthat season's Oberliga West, was defeated 3–1. The encounter was a farewell match for Schalke legendsErnst Kuzorra andFritz Szepan, and was attended by 30,000 at theGlückauf-Kampfbahn on 12 November.[9]
From Germany, Atlético followed toVienna, where 60,000 people saw the Brazilians lose 0–3 to a strongRapid Wien side, which would form the backbone of theAustria national football team in the1954 FIFA World Cup, the tour's worst result. Viennese press reported that Atlético Mineiro's players complained about refereeing (a supposed offside goal and a non-existent penalty to Rapid), as well as about the crowd's behaviour, which they saw as menacing (even though the home team's supporters were only raising their arms to applaud the visitors).[10] On 20 November, the team played1.FC Saarbrücken, then out of the German Football Association and playing in theFrench football league system because ofSaarlands's French protectorate status; Atlético won the match by 2–0.
A trip to Belgium followed, where 40,000 watched the team beatBelgian First Division championsAnderlecht, led by forwardJoseph Mermans, by a 2–1 score, on 22 November.[11] On 26 November the club returned to Germany, where it tied with Oberliga Nord'sEintracht Braunschweig 3–3 atEintracht-Stadion in front of 30,000 people.[12] Another 3–3 tie followed, this time inLuxembourg againstUnion, increased by players from some other Luxembourger sides, on 5 December.[13][14] The tour ended inParis with a match againstStade Français on 7 December atParc des Princes with a 4,000 attendance.[15][16] Atlético won 2–1 under an extremely low temperature, which forced goalkeeperKafunga to put his hands in a hot water bottle during the match, and caused midfielderBarbatana to suffer fromhypothermia.[1]
The tour ended in turmoil at European soil, however, as a disagreement between the club's board members and the German tour manager Eden Kaltenecker resulted in the disappearance of the latter and a shortage of money for the return trip to Brazil, which had to be ultimately funded by Minas Gerais State Government.[3][17] A planned match against French championLille, to be played on 10 December, was also cancelled because of intense cold.[18]
Brazilian press anticipated the return of the club's delegation, which was honored by theBrazilian Sports Confederation and received astanding ovation at theMaracanã before aCampeonato Carioca match.[19][20] The team was welcomed by over 50,000 people upon its return toBelo Horizonte, in what was described as an "apotheotic" celebration in the city streets.[17][21] Despite not having an unbeaten run, sports media lauded Atlético Mineiro's tour as a historical success for the country's football,[3] which had suffered a major setback with theMaracanazo in the same year. The results achieved under adverse conditions and snowy grounds led to the dubbing of the team asCampeões do Gelo (Portuguese for "Ice Champions"), a feat remembered in the club's official anthem.[22]
v
Atlético Mineiro| 1 November 1950 | 1860 München | 3–4 | Atlético Mineiro | Grünwalder Stadion,Munich |
Thanner 13'Sommer 71',80' | Report | Lucas Miranda 7',35' Lauro 27'Vaguinho 68' | Attendance: 35,000 Referee: Hechert (Germany) |
vAtlético Mineiro| 4 November 1950 | Hamburger SV | 0–4 | Atlético Mineiro | Rothenbaum,Hamburg |
| Report | Nívio 13' Alvinho 20'Lucas Miranda 27',74' | Attendance: 20,000 Referee: Rexhauser (Germany) |
vAtlético Mineiro| 5 November 1950 | Werder Bremen | 3–1 | Atlético Mineiro | Weserstadion,Bremen |
| Preuße 35' Burdenski 69'Pöschl 81' | Report | Lucas Miranda 55' | Attendance: 26,000 Referee: Fritz de Zelle (Germany)[23] |
vAtlético Mineiro| 12 November 1950 | Schalke 04 | 1–3 | Atlético Mineiro | Glückauf-Kampfbahn,Gelsenkirchen |
| Malinowski 77' | Report | Lucas Miranda 4' Vaguinho 17',61' | Attendance: 30,000 Referee: Guzzetti (Italy)[24] |
vAtlético Mineiro| 16 November 1950 | Rapid Wien | 3–0 | Atlético Mineiro | Pfarrwiese,Vienna |
| Dienst 14' Körner 35'Probst 69' | Report | Attendance: 60,000 Referee:Alois Beranek (Austria)[10] |
vAtlético Mineiro| 20 November 1950 | Saarbrücken | 0–2 | Atlético Mineiro | Kieselhumes,Saarbrücken |
| Report | Nívio 82',87' | Attendance: 16,000 |
vAtlético Mineiro| 22 November 1950 | Anderlecht | 1–2 | Atlético Mineiro | Émile Versé,Anderlecht,Brussels |
| Mermans 38' | Report | Vaguinho 29' Alvinho 83' | Attendance: 40,000 Referee: Albert Alsteen (Belgium) |
vAtlético Mineiro| 26 November 1950 | Eintracht Braunschweig | 3–3 | Atlético Mineiro | Eintracht-Stadion,Braunschweig |
| Schroder 37' Thamm 67',89' | Report | Vaguinho 18' Alvinho 53'Murilinho 79' | Attendance: 35,000 |
vAtlético Mineiro| 5 December 1950 | Union Luxembourg | 3–3 | Atlético Mineiro | Achille Hammerel,Luxembourg |
| Juca (o.g.) Müller Hermann | Report | Vaguinho Lauro Nívio | Attendance: 1,800 |
vAtlético Mineiro| 7 December 1950 | Stade Français | 1–2 | Atlético Mineiro | Parc des Princes,Paris |
| Drouet 72' | Report | Nívio 24' Lucas Miranda 43' | Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Gaby Tordjman (France) |
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Kafunga |
| Mão-de-Onça | |
| Defender | Afonso |
| Oswaldo | |
| Juca | |
| Márcio | |
| Midfielder | Moreno |
| Vicente | |
| Zé do Monte | |
| Haroldo | |
| Barbatana | |
| Vicente Pérez | |
| Forward | Lucas Miranda |
| Lauro | |
| Zezinho | |
| Alvinho | |
| Nívio Gabrich | |
| Vavá | |
| Murilinho | |
| Vaguinho |
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Delegation chief | Domingos Dângelo |
| Head coach |  Ricardo Diéz |
| Doctor | Abdo Arges |
| Interpreter | Teodora Breickport |
| Journalist | Francisco Américo |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Stadiums |
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| Training grounds |
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| Media | |
| Rivalries | |
| Related articles | |
