STORIES, HISTORY, FACTS, CASES AND “STORIES”/”CAUSOS”

29 – Ênio Ricardo Farias: An Educator! Baduzinho’s guru.

Those who follow the Stories, History, Facts, Cases and “Stories” and the Exxxtóriaxxx of Baduzinho Zé Julinho already know this Character well, one of the greatest influencers of several generations regarding Education, Physical Education, Football and Sport in general. There should be a statue of you in some places.

We know little about his past before arriving at E. C. Cocotá, on the Island. Northeastern, from a beautiful and dear family, he arrived in Rio to never return, to make dreams come true. Julinho, as Ênio affectionately called his Pupil and Friend, has a slight memory of having heard that he arrived in Rio and went to work in a Bank, to live in Copa to achieve his dream of going to college and becoming a Professor.

There will certainly be a Biography, perhaps Autobiography that will address this stage of life prior to his work at Cocotá.

What matters: I thought that Ênio arrived at Cocotá by the hands of Seo Paulo Gestal, Director and at one time Coach of the Club, but in fact it was through Ivo, who with his Brother Marley, was Owner of the prestigious Olavo Bilac School on Estrada da Cacuia, in Cacuia and, Director of Cocotá, who invited him and presented him to President Seu Toninho, to make a leap in quality, because Coach Bianchini worked without a Physical Trainer. He was Coach of the Adult Team and Coach of the Juvenile; he also worked with Professional Clubs and in several Schools. Being an amateur football, the training sessions were at night, twice a week, Wednesdays and Fridays, one day of physical-technical-tactical preparation, the other the collective-preparation before the game (always on Sundays at 3 pm. Preliminary at 13). Many clubs did not have lighting, Cocotá already did.

One day, after a training session, Ênio talked informally with the athletes and members, as he always did, while having lunch-snack-dinner calmly, because during the day it was pure rush to face his studies and pay the rent at the famous Little Princess of the Sea, he addressed the group asking what they wanted to be, what they were going to study. Administration said some, Medicine, Law, one said Lifeguard, Engineering spoke others, including Julinho. Professor Ênio at that time interrupted and said confidently: Julinho, you have nothing to do with an Engineer, you must be a Physical Education and Technical Teacher, you already informally exercise the function of Technician at the Club and, in Praia da Bandeira, you carry out recreational activities, naturally, you even teach the children to swim.

Julinho asked how a Physical Education Teacher and Sports Coach were trained, because he did not know, although he had classes in the discipline at Pedro II since Gymnasium. Ênio, with the peculiar calmness, explained it well, said that there was a Pre-University Preparatory Course that prepared for the specific Entrance Exam. It was already July, halfway through the 3rd. Scientific Series, a class for Engineering (where Julinho was), Classical (Law and Pedagogy) and Medicine (Physical Education area). When he got home he told his parents that he wanted to be a Physical Education Teacher, they were surprised, the father replied saying that the Physical Education Teacher paid badly, the Physical Education teacher even less, and those tight pants with a lot…, but Baduzinho knew that he wanted to work outdoors, with health and education, including sports and went ahead,  feeling for the guidance in good time, a huge and eternal gratitude to Mestre Ênio. Ênio also talked to Seo Julio to reinforce.

Ênio, already graduated in 1966, worked as a Physical Trainer in several Clubs and, in 74, he attended the Specialization in Football to also exercise the activity of Coach (who in 1993, through Law 8650 became a Professional Football Coach, a Law rarely followed in Brazil – here only two/three Laws have effect: Gravity, Least Effort and Gerson).  It is incredible that he was from the same class as his Pupils and Brothers Julinho and Jairo, the first graduated in 72 (Pioneiros do Fundão) and Jairo in 73. In these years there was no Specialization Course in Football.

Ênio was a Coach at Cocotá, Vasco (Base), Flamengo (Base), Mesquita, Serrano and others, being elevated to the position of Supervisor for his enormous qualification and life baggage and at the Federal Universities of Rio and the Federal Fluminense.

Married and with children, he chose to live in Magé, where he lives to this day (2026) at the age of 88. He even founded a Club there, Pau Grande, in partnership with two Friends of Football.

When Ênio went with his sons Fernando and Sérgio to Cocotá, at the beginning, he made the members happy, the Boys stirred up the club, climbed on everything that led up, played ball and were the first that Julinho heard his Father called by name: Ênio come here, Ênio I want this or that… It caused astonishment in a club where you could not enter without a shirt or with short shorts. From accompanying their dear Father so much in the wanderings, both graduated in Physical Education, even succeeding in the activity, Fernando Farias, the eldest, focused on Physical Preparation (a scholar of the subject), Sergio Farias, the youngest, more thrown, as a Coach, even taking an Asian club to the Club World Cup, with excellent participation.

When unable to perform his work for some reason (once he had surgery on his knee) Ênio turned to Julinho to replace him, at Olavo Bilac, at the Jockey Club School, at Pueri Domus and others. It is important that when a friend of his, Arnaldo Belota, needed an Intern to help him in the Pottery in 72 it was Julinho that he recommended (it seems like something from other Incarnations – Brothers or Father and Son).

In addition to attending the Technique Course together for 1 year in 74, in a fantastic class that had Ernesto Santos and Celio Cidade as Teachers, and as students/colleagues Jayme Valente, Chiquinho Pastor, Paulistinha, Carlos Cesar Custódio, Ronald Carvalho, Carlos Alberto Nequinha, Edil, Ademar Braga, Djalma Cavalcante, in addition to Jairo and Julio. They worked together at Flamengo, Vasco da Gama and CBF, one leading the other or both being taken by another Great Master and Friend, Américo Faria, as for example in the CBF in 91, winning together the South American in Paraguay.

Her informal conversations focused on education, she took them to the Lectures in the Clubs where she worked, and in the Entities that she helped to be born or grow, such as ABTF and Unions. Julinho remembers that he participated in Ênio’s study with a view to the Master’s Degree, but he does not know if he finished, in any case he is a Master, a Mequinho (Great Master) of Physical Education, Sports, Soccer and Life.

Julinho Baduzinho Zé is eternally grateful to Ênio and to God for having put him on the same path in this life, perhaps in others.

Long live the King!

P.S. – So Baduzinho remembers the facts, due to age and time, subject to mistakes, and apologizes in advance.

P.S. – Yesterday the post was already done, only the photos were missing, which I sent to the site and to Ênio. I went out for a run and guess what, I ran into Ênio and his wife having coffee at Kopenhagen in Ipa… what a coincidence, what a joy!

P.S. 2 – Thanks to the former player and friend Affonso, who played awesomely, and sent me the name of Ivo’s brother, Marley, which I had forgotten. Merci beaucoup Affonso!

By Jucele

Julio Leal

Coach Champion of the World U.20 in Australia, 1993 – Football/Soccer

August 17th, 2026