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| Full name | Esporte Clube Bahia | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Tricolor Bahiaço (mix of Bahia and aço, steel) Baêa Maior do Nordeste (Greatest in the Northeast) Esquadrão de Aço (Steel Squadron) | |||
| Founded | 1 January 1931; 94 years ago (1931-01-01) | |||
| Ground | Arena Fonte Nova | |||
| Capacity | 50,025 | |||
| SAF Owner | City Football Group (90%) Others (10%) | |||
| President | Emerson Ferretti[1] | |||
| Head coach | Rogério Ceni | |||
| League | Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Campeonato Baiano | |||
| 2024 2024 [pt] | Série A, 8th of 20 Baiano, 2nd of 10 | |||
| Website | www | |||
 Current season | ||||
| 2008 |  Manchester City* |
|---|---|
| 2009–2012 | |
| 2013 |  New York City FC§ |
| 2014 |  Melbourne City* |
 Yokohama F. Marinos*§ | |
| 2015–2016 | |
| 2017 |  Montevideo City* |
 Girona*§ | |
| 2018 | |
| 2019 |  Shenzhen Peng City*§ |
 Mumbai City*§ | |
| 2020 |  Lommel* |
 Troyes* | |
| 2021 | |
| 2022 |  Palermo*§ |
| 2023 |  Bahia*§ |
Esporte Clube Bahia (Portuguese pronunciation:[isˈpɔʁtʃiˈklubibaˈi.ɐ]) is a Brazilian professionalassociation football club based inSalvador, the capital city of theBrazilian state ofBahia. Known mainly as theEsquadrão de Aço (Steel Squadron), the club competes in theCampeonato Baiano, Bahia's state league, and theCampeonato Brasileiro Série A, the highest division of theBrazilian football league system.
EC Bahia has won theBrasileirão title twice: in1959, where they defeatedSantos'Santásticos with the likes ofGilmar,Mauro Ramos,Mengálvio,Coutinho,Pepe andPelé in the final, and in1988 overInternacional with the team sealing the title atBeira Rio, Internacional's stadium. The team has appeared in theCopa Libertadores four times, reaching the quarter-finals in1989 – their best-ever performance. After 22 years out of international competition, Bahia returned in 2012 when they qualified for theCopa Sudamericana, an achievement repeated seven more times, the last in 2021. The club has also won their state title a record 51 times. The club also has five titles in theCopa do Nordeste, in: 2001, 2002, 2017, 2021 and 2025.
Bahia had played its home games with 66,080 people capacityEstádio Fonte Nova from 1951 to 2007, whena section of the stadium collapsed killing seven Bahia fans. TheTricolor played at the Joia da Princesa stadium in Feira de Santana in 2008, and from 2009 to 2013 at theEstádio de Pituaçu in Salvador. With the reopening of the Fonte Nova stadium in 2013 as theArena Fonte Nova, a modern arena built for the2014 FIFA World Cup, Bahia resumed playing its matches there. The club's home uniform consists of white shirts with blue shorts and red socks. It has a fierce long-standing rivalry withVitória, known asBa-Vi.
In December 2022, it was announced thatCity Football Group, a subsidiary ofAbu Dhabi United Group, had bought a majority stake of Bahia'sSAF, after the takeover was approved in a voting session between club members.[2][3] The acquisition was completed in May 2023, as CFG officially acquired 90% of the club's shares.[4][5][6]
The Esporte Clube Bahia was founded on the New Year's Day of 1931 when players from two clubs decided to merge. The Associação Atlética da Bahia and the Clube Bahiano de Tênis had decided to discontinue their football divisions. A few years later Bahia became the most popular team in the Northeast of Brazil.[citation needed]
In the club's first year, Bahia won the Torneio Inicio and Bahia State Championship. The first Bahia president was Waldemar Costa, a doctor. Bahia's crest is based on Corinthians'[citation needed]. Bahia's state flag, created by Raimundo Magalhães, was used in place of the São Paulo state flag.
The team was founded with the motto "Nasceu para Vencer" (Born to Win). Bahia won 50 State Championships, 21 more than the Vitória (their rival club), and was the first club to participate in Taça Libertadores da America in 1960.
Between 1959 and 1963, and in 1968, the club represented the state of Bahia in Taça Brasil (the precursor of the Brazilian Championship), winning the title in 1959 and finishing as runner-up in 1961 and 1963.
The 1980s were the best in Bahia's history. Bahia won their second national title in 1988, finishing 5th in 1986 and 4th in 1990.
In 1988, Bahia won its secondBrazilian Championship against theInternacional fromPorto Alegre Bahia won the first leg inSalvador by 2–1. The second leg ended in an 0–0 tie-inPorto Alegre at theBeira Rio Stadium. After these results, Bahia won theBrasileirão, their second national title. The championship gave Bahia the right to playCopa Libertadores for the third time. It was a shock for the southern press[citation needed] because Salvador is in the Northeast and the victory was over the Internacional, a team from southern Brazil, the region that has the highestHuman Development Index in the country.
In 1997, Bahia was relegated to theSérie B for the first time in its history after a 0–0 draw against theJuventude at the Fonte Nova stadium. In 1999 Bahia was close to being promoted to theSérie A again. Bahia had a very good season but finished in 3rd place, which was not enough to see them promoted.
In 2000, due to bribery scandals involving clubs such as theSão Paulo and theInternacional, the team returned to theBrazilian First Division, invited by theClube dos 13, along with theFluminense, which was made a scapegoat for the controversy and was nationally victimized by the media (seeCopa João Havelange).
In 2002 the bank that had sponsored the team went bankrupt and the Bahia began a descent down the Brazilian football pyramid. After the title of the Northeast Cup in 2001 and 2002, Bahia performed poorly in 2003 and was relegated to theSérie B for the second time in the club's history. In 2004, the team was close to getting promoted to theSérie A again, finishing 4th. In order to be promoted, Bahia would have to win the final match against the Brasiliense, but the referee Paulo César de Oliveira was assigned to that match and many people[who?] say he was all but fair on that day. In 2005, the club again competed in theSérie B, finishing in 18th place, and was relegated to theSérie C for the first time in the club's history.
Bahia finished 2007 among the first four teams of the Third Division and was promoted to the Second Division for the 2008 season. The Bahia began strongly, but in the last game of the 3rd stage of theSérie C against the already-eliminated Fast Club, Bahia needed a win to advance to the final. The victory came in the last minute of the game with a goal scored by Charles. In the final, the team finished the third division in 2nd place, only losing the title in the final round.[citation needed] This moment is called the "Fênix Tricolor" amongst Bahia fans.[citation needed] The phoenix represents Bahia rising from the ashes.
Despite playing in the Third Division of Brazilian football in 2007, Bahia had the largest average attendance in Brazil: 40,400 people per match.[citation needed] No club in the Third, the Second, or even the First Division was able to match it.[citation needed] However, this is not unusual for Bahia, having also achieved the biggest average attendance in Brazil in 2004 (Second Division), 1988 (First Division), 1986 (First Division), and 1985 (First Division).[citation needed]
From 2010 to 2014 Bahia remained in the first division. In 2013, a fan takeover lead the club to pursue moreleft-wing and socially engaged politics, focusing on racism, LGBTQ rights, the demarcation of indigenous lands and the treatment of female fans in football stadiums. At the same time, they have managed to reduce ticket prices, increase revenues, pay off some of the debt that was crippling the club and improve their results on the pitch.[7]
In 2014 they were relegated to the second division again but came back in 2016. After 22 years out of international competition, Bahia returned in 2012 when they qualified for theCopa Sul-Americana, and seven more times, the last in 2021. In addition, they won the 2012, 2014, 2015 state championship and in 2023 he won his 50th title.
In February 2018 the intense rivalry between Bahia and Esporte Clube Vitória drew international attention when nine players (four from Bahia and five from Vitória) were shown thered card in a State Championship match.[8]
In December 2022, it was announced thatCity Football Group, a subsidiary ofAbu Dhabi United Group, had bought majority stake of Bahia, following a voting session between club members that saw 98.6% of voters accept the takeover.[2][4] The acquisition was completed in May 2023, as CFG officially acquired 90% of the club's shares, with the original administration keeping the remaining 10% of shares, as well as full rights over club heritage items, including shirt colors and the emblem.[4][5][6] Bahia became the thirteenth football club to join City Football Group, and the third South American team to ever do so, followingMontevideo City Torque and parent clubClub Bolívar.[4][6]
Bahia's colors are blue, red, and white. The blue color pays homage to the Associação Atlética da Bahia; white, to the Clube Baiano de Tênis; and red for the Bahia state flag. The club's mascot is calledSuper-Homem Tricolor (TricolorSuperman), created byZiraldo in 1979 based on the club's nickname "Esquadrão de Aço" (Steel Squad) and wears a costume very similar to the original Superman's costume.
Bahia played at theFonte Nova stadium from its inauguration in 1951 until November 2007.During the game against the Vila Nova (during Bahia's promotion campaign) a part of the stadium collapsed. Seven people died and more than 30 were injured.
After that episode, the state government declared that the stadium would be demolished.A new stadium was built on the site for the2014 FIFA World Cup.
Some notable games at the Fonte Nova:
In April, Bahia was back to theArena Fonte Nova
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| National | ||
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| Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
| Campeonato Brasileiro Série A | 2 | 1959,1988 |
| Regional | ||
| Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
| Copa do Nordeste | 5 | 2001, 2002,2017,2021,2025 |
| State | ||
| Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
| Campeonato Baiano | 51 | 1931, 1933, 1934, 1936, 1938 (I), 1940, 1944, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2001,2012,2014,2015,2018,2019,2020,2023,2025 |
| Taça Estado da Bahia | 3s | 2000, 2002, 2007 |
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Coaching staff | |
| Head coach | Rogério Ceni |
| Assistant head coach | Nelson Simões |
| Assistant head coach | Leandro Macagnan |
| Assistant head coach | Charles Hembert |
| Performance coordinator | António Bores |
| Fitness coach | Danilo Augusto |
| Fitness coach | Roberto Nascimento |
| Goalkeepers trainer | Eduardo Varjão |
Carlos Volante (1959)Paulo Amaral (1967–68)
Manuel Fleitas Solich (1970–71)Sylvio Pirillo (1972)Evaristo de Macedo (1973)Zezé Moreira (1978–79)Aymoré Moreira (1981–82)Paulinho (1985), (1987)Evaristo de Macedo (1988–89)René Simões (1989)Candinho (1990–91)Gílson Nunes (1992)Joel Santana (1994)Júlio César Leal (1995)Geninho (1997)Evaristo de Macedo (1998)Joel Santana (1999)Evaristo de Macedo (2001)Candinho (2002–03)Evaristo de Macedo (2003)Lula Pereira (Aug 18, 2003 – Oct 27, 2003)Edinho (Oct 28, 2003 – Dec 18, 2003)Vadão (Jan 11, 2004 – Dec 17, 2004)Zetti (April 19, 2005 – June 20, 2005)Mauro Fernandes (April 7, 2006 – July 26, 2006)Lula Pereira (Oct 16, 2006 – Dec 5, 2006)Paulo Comelli (Dec 4, 2007 – June 2, 2008)Arturzinho (June 4, 2008 – Feb 2, 2009)Ferdinando Teixeira (Oct 4, 2008 – Dec 15, 2008)Alexandre Gallo (Dec 16, 2008 – July 7, 2009)Paulo Comelli (July 8, 2009 – Aug 1, 2009)Sérgio Guedes (Aug 2, 2009 – Sep 28, 2009)Paulo Bonamigo (Sep 29, 2009 – Dec 3, 2009)Renato Gaúcho (Dec 13, 2009 – Aug 10, 2010)Márcio Araújo (Aug 11, 2010 – Dec 2, 2010)Rogério Lourenço (Dec 7, 2010 – Feb 7, 2011)Vágner Benazzi (Feb 17, 2011 – April 10, 2011)Renê Simões (April 14, 2011 – Sep 2, 2011)Joel Santana (Sep 4, 2011 – Feb 2, 2012)Paulo Roberto Falcão (Feb 7, 2012 – July 20, 2012)Caio Júnior (July 21, 2012 – Aug 27, 2012)Jorginho (Aug 28, 2012 – April 7, 2013)Joel Santana (April 8, 2013 – May 13, 2013)Cristóvão Borges (May 17, 2013 – Dec 9, 2013)Marquinhos Santos (Dec 12, 2013 – July 28, 2014)Gilson Kleina (Aug 13, 2014 – Nov 11, 2014)Charles Fabian (2014)Sergio Soares (2015)Charles Fabian (2015)Doriva (2016)Guto Ferreira (2016–2017)Jorginho (2017)Preto Casagrande (2017)Paulo César Carpegiani (Oct 2017 - Dec 2017)Guto Ferreira (Dec 2017 - Jun 2018)Enderson Moreira (Jun 2018 - Mar 2019)Roger Machado (Apr 2019 - Sep 2020)Mano Menezes (Sep 2020 - Dec 2020)Dado Cavalcanti (Dec 2020 - Aug 2021)
Diego Dabove (Aug 2021 - Oct 2021)Guto Ferreira (Oct 2021 - Jun 2022)Enderson Moreira (Jun 2022 - Oct 2022 )Eduardo Barroca (Oct 2022 - Nov 2022)
Renato Paiva (Jan 2023 - Sep 2023)Rogério Ceni (Sep 2023 - )
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