Rio Branco Sport Club, more commonly referred to as Rio Branco do Paraná or simply Rio Branco, is a Brazilian professional

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club in

Paranaguá Paranaguá (''Great Round Sea'', in Tupi) is a city in the state of Paraná in Brazil. Founded in 1648, it is Paraná's oldest city. It is known for the Port of Paranaguá, which serves as both the sea link for Curitiba, to the west and the cap ...

, Paraná which currently plays in

Campeonato Paranaense Campeonato Paranaense, which has been contested since 1915, is the top-flight football league of the state of Paraná, Brazil. Format The format has changed in 2014. 12 teams are together in a single group. They play against each other once, ...

, the top division of the Paraná state football league.

History

On October 13, 1913, Rio Branco Sport Club was founded by Anibal José de Lima, Raul da Costa Pinto, Euclides de Oliveira, Manoel Victor da Costa, Antônio Gomes de Miranda, José de Oliveira, Antônio Ferrer da Rosa and Jarbas Nery Chichorro.Rio Branco Sport Club at Arquivo de Clubes
/ref> In 1915, Rio Branco disputed the first

. The club finished in the last position of all the six participating teams. In 1956, Rio Branco professionalized its football section, and disputed the Campeonato Paranaense Divisão Especial (which was the second division). Its first professional match was played against Água Verde. Rio Branco won 3-2.History at the fansite
/ref> In 1996, Rio Branco disputed the

Campeonato Brasileiro Série C The Campeonato Brasileiro Série C is the third tier of the Brazilian football league system. Unlike the first and second divisions, the Série C is not played in a double round robin system, arguably because many participating teams lack the f ...

. The club was eliminated by

Figueirense Figueirense Futebol Clube, commonly referred to as Figueirense, is a Brazilian professional club based in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina founded on 12 June 1921. It competes in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série C, the third tier of Brazilian ...

in the third stage. In 2000, the club disputed the

Copa João Havelange The 2000 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (officially the Copa João Havelange) was the 44th edition of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the top-level of professional football in Brazil. Due to legal complications, the championship was organized ...

. The club was in the White module, which was the equivalent of a third level. Rio Branco was eliminated in the second stage.2000 Copa João Havelange at RSSSF
In 2005, the club was administered by four entrepreneurs, Mário Roque, José Carlos Possas, José Manuel Chaves and Marquinhos Roque.

Titles

* Campeonato do Interior Paranaense: 1948 and 1955. * Campeonato Paranaense Second Division: 1995

Stadium

Rio Branco's home stadium is Estádio da Estradinha (its official name is Estádio Nelson Medrado Dias), inaugurated in 1927, with a maximum capacity of 8,000 people.Estádio da Estradinha at Templos do Futebol
/ref>

Mascot

The club's mascot is a

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

.''Especial Placar - 500 Times do Brasil, São Paulo: Editora Abril: 2003.''

Nickname

Rio Branco is nicknamed ''Leão da Estradinha'', meaning ''Lion of the Little Road''. This nickname is due to the club's brave playstyle.Rio Branco at FutebolPR
/ref> Estradinha is the name of the club's neighborhood.

Club colors

The club colors are red and white.Club info at Federação Paranaense de Futebol (Paraná Football Federation)
/ref>

Ultra groups

There are several ultra groups supporting the club:
/ref> *Mancha Vermelha *Os Fanáticos do Leão *Torcida Fiel do Leão

Miscellaneous

*Rio Branco Sport Club is the third oldest Paraná state club, only behind

Coritiba Coritiba Foot Ball Club, commonly known as Coritiba and colloquially referred to as "Coxa-Branca" or "Coxa", is a Brazilian football club from Curitiba, capital city of the Brazilian state of Paraná. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest f ...

, founded in 1909, and Operário-PR, founded in 1912.''Enciclopédia do Futebol Brasileiro'', Volume 1 - Lance, Rio de Janeiro: Aretê Editorial S/A, 2001. *Rio Branco and Coritiba are the only state clubs which did not change their names or colors.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Association football clubs established in 1913 Football clubs in Paraná (state) 1913 establishments in Brazil Paranaguá