the series revisits Rio de Janeiro football from the 1990s

To describe this decade, the documentary series “1995 — In the Time of Bad Boys”, which premieres today at 10 p.m. on Sportv, has chosen the year that gives its title to the production as a summary of this period. The ingredients are not lacking: a megalomaniac centenarian, a dispute between extroverted and vain attackers around the symbolic position of “King of Rio”, the best player in the world and in Brazil together, funk in the stands and a Brazilian champion. All this in a scenario of clubs in debt and having difficulty paying salaries.

—I think always, from time to time, we get nostalgic for a specific decade. And we felt, in our editorial meetings and our conversations, this desire to talk about the 1990s – says journalist Chico Trigo, specialist in sports formats at Globoplay and director of the series, who also highlights the importance of football for the city in 1995:

— The return of Romário, this struggle to become the king of Rio, Túlio being the great scorer of Brazilian football, Renato Gaúcho being the man with the most media coverage, all this brought football back to life in Rio and somewhat saved the image of the city, which was tarnished. We only talked about violence and dragnets.

The project was born with the idea of saving Flamengo’s centenary, a celebration that had everything: the arrival of Romário six months after his main role in winning the 1994 World Cup, his disagreements with coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo, the subsequent hiring of Edmundo, who would later be involved in a road accident with fatal victims, and even the broadcaster Washington Rodrigues (Apolinho) as technical director of the team.

In fact, there was almost everything in this centenary. A title was missing, which rivals Fluminense, champion of Rio thanks to the historic goal of Renato Gaúcho; and Botafogo, champions of Brazil, did it. Therefore, the focus of the series was broadened to Rio football in general. But the 100 years of red and black are the common thread of the story, divided into three episodes (the other two will be broadcast respectively tomorrow, also at 10 p.m.; and Tuesday, at 8 p.m. – and all will then be available on Globoplay).

— We understood that this year, which promised to be very special for Flamengo, had elements to tell a story which, in a certain way, represented what the 1990s were. And this story takes on a lot of momentum because, at the very moment when Flamengo was doing everything to win a title in 1995, his opponents were arming themselves not to let him win — affirms the director of the series. — So, in a classic story, Flamengo would be the protagonist and the other two, the antagonists. But they are the ones who emerge victorious.

In addition to nostalgia, looking back at the 1990s allows us to reflect on the changes that took place in football and in the stands of Rio. Rio clubs, which during this decade were still managing to overcome their debts to recruit stars and win important titles, would go through a long winter at the beginning of this century before turning things around – which came with financial responsibilities or the entry of an outside investor.

In the stands, the change was definitive, whether from a physical point of view, with the renovations of the Maracanã and the end of the general, or due to the change in the profile of the public. The series shows how the popularization of Rio funk had an impact on stadiums, with the rhythm becoming the great source of inspiration for supporters’ chants.

In 1995, “Dança da butt”, “Rap da cabeza” and of course “Rap do centenário” were born. Funk was sung in the stands and even by the players. Leave it to Romário and Edmundo, who launched “Rap dos bad boys” when they played together for Flamengo.

— There’s one thing that we didn’t put in the series, simply because it didn’t fit into the storyline, but that we heard from some of the characters interviewed, and that was that people weren’t taking selfies, they weren’t there to show off — says Trigo, who makes yet another thought. — You no longer have those crushing hits that everyone knew. Songs are more specialized these days. At that time, any hit was very easily parodied.