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On April 10, 1932, the first clash between Bahia and Vitória took place in Campo da Graça
Posted on February 1, 2025 at 09:00
The first ‘Ba-Vi’ was played in the Campo da Graça, in 1932 Credit: Paulo Leandro/Personal Collection
February 1, 2025 will be for history as the day Bahia and Vitória faced each other for the 500th time in history. If on the pitch, each of the 22 players will face the opportunity as the only one to get into the history of the confrontation, the fans will be following the stands or home another classic Ba-Vi packed by the spirit of rivalry. Celebrating the milestone is also to remember the other 499 games that shaped the football phenomenon out of the field, especially the day that started everything.>
What is now viewed as an event that moves passions and crowds began – still embryonic – in 1932. Despite the founding of the 19th century Datar Datar, more precisely in 1899, the institution began as a cricket club. The years passed and the lions of the bar had water sports as a priority. From the junction of the Bahian Club of Tennis and the Athletic Association of Bahia, comes what is now called Steel Squad in 1931.>
A year after the founding of Esporte Clube Bahia took place the first confrontation between the two teams. On April 10, 1932, profiled at the Campo da Graça lawn, on Euclydes da Cunha Avenue, the two teams were facing for the first time for the starting tournament of the state. As the competition served as a preliminary exhibition match of the Bahian Championship, the duration was no more than 20 minutes.>
Despite the short time, it was enough for the kick -off in the relationship between the two teams to be given. In the match whistled by referee Vivaldo Tavares, Raúl scored twice and Gambarrota gave final numbers to the game. Right away, 3×0 for Bahia. Elastic score today would be synonymous with mocking for some and headache for others, but the rivalry was still in embryonic stage, and the climate of the event was of cordiality between the two teams.>
Bahia lineup: Teixeira Gomes; Leonidas and Odilon; Milton, Canoe and Gia; Bayma, Wanderley, Raúl, Rubinho and Gambarrota.>
Victory lineup: Walter; Gilberto and Alencar; Raymundo, Zezito and Carneiro; De-Vecchi, Manelito, Romeo, Coutinho and Zelito Magalhães.>
Feeling of peace
Journalist Paulo Leandro explains that the feeling of hostility related to rivalry did not exist. Rather, the relationships between the teams were fraternity, which can be seen in photography with both teams. “You see in the photo players of Bahia lying close to those of Vitória and everyone posing together. It’s an emblematic image of how the game between Bahia and Vitória was born in peace. No violence, no stress, without rhines,” he explained.>
In his doctoral dissertation, named “BA-V: from the assistance to the crowd: the metamorphosis in the sports pages”, Paulo Leandro described the environment around the field of Graça. Photographs. The best throws are received with moderate applause by discrete fans dressed in Sunday’s costume, accompanied by the most elegant hat. . Silence and moderation to the exit of the stadium, “he wrote.
This peaceful atmosphere in the early years of games between Bahia and Vitória was also disseminated by the players themselves outside the exercise area. Winners and defeated dinner together. Those who lost learned in the defeat and the cheating had no time. “It was a moment of life and sport in which the Olympism was still very strong and predominant. We did not have, in these early years of the confrontation between Vitória and Bahia, what we have today, this exalted mood,” says the journalist .>
Despite the first game in 1932, Paulo Leandro rejects the term “rivalry” to refer to the first matches between the two teams and explains that the term “Ba-Vi” only came with the advent of Fonte Nova, when journalist Carlos Libório was inspired by Fla-Flu to create the abbreviation, “Saving Space” in the role of the newspaper and forever mark the history of the largest crowds of football-affairs in Bahia.>
