The Ibis Sport Club, commonly known as Ibis, is a Brazilian football team that is widely regarded as the ‘worst football team in the world’ after failing to win a single game for 3 years and 11 months between 1980 and 1984.
In 2017 the team managed to avoid losing for 7 matches straight, which ironically alarmed Ibis’ fans who appeared reluctant to see the club part with its poor reputation.
Some fans joked while a journalist who runs Ibis’ Instagram page threatened to torch his T-shirt if the "shameful" string of victories were to continue. Their fears, however, appear to have been alleviated when the team was defeated by Decisao in the quarterfinals.
During an exclusive interview with Sputnik Brasil, Ibis’ president Ozir Ramos Junior explained that the title of the 'worst team in the world' is actually more of a PR stunt.
"Ibis’ players are seasoned professionals. Unfortunately, in the A2 series of 2017 we were in the lead all the way until the end when Decisao knocked us out of the championship," he said.
The president also explained that both the team and its fans regard Ibis’ status as the "world’s worst team" merely as a joke, while the club’s real woes lie in a different area.
"We don’t have a sponsor: a person or a company who would help us. Even the city authorities don’t assist us. Here in Pernambuco most of the A2 series football clubs enjoy the support of their respective home city administrations, while we don’t enjoy such advantage," he said, describing Ibis as a legendary team and a symbol of Pernambuco.
