The story behind Mengão Fogos and its giant Botafogo crest | OneFootball

For more than 50 years, a Duque de Caxias fireworks store called Mengão Fogos has puzzled drivers and pedestrians, its giant Botafogo badge sitting between the two words of its name.

According to Globo.com, the shop stands where Linha Vermelha meets Rodovia Washington Luiz, a gateway to Petrópolis, Teresópolis and Juiz de Fora. Thousands pass daily, faced with a frontage roughly 2 metres high and 15 metres long.

The curiosity comes into sharper focus as Botafogo play Flamengo on Saturday at 20:30 Brasília time at Nilton Santos in the Brasileirão.

Co-owner Raul Silva da Cruz recalls actress and presenter Regina Casé recently pulling over to ask about the unlikely pairing. He credits a prime roadside location and a well-known name for the business’s success. Aged 56, he runs it with his wife, both Flamengo supporters.

Long-serving employee Sebastião Vieira de Souza, known as Tião, has worked there for nearly 30 years and explains the origin. The founder backed Botafogo, his relatives supported Flamengo, so they agreed on Mengão Fogos with the Botafogo crest in the middle.

The founder, ex-Marine Joel Oscarlito, left the Navy in the 60s or 70s to open the shop on the Rio-Petrópolis roadside. He added the crest out of caution over licensing fees for using Flamengo’s nickname on the facade, and no fees have ever been charged. The store turns 56 next month.

Source: Globo.com