The club was founded on 2 January 1921, by sportsmen from the Italian colony of Belo Horizonte as Societ Sportiva Palestra Itlia. As a result of the Second World War, the Brazilian federal government banned the use of any symbols referring to the Axis powers in 1942.

What is Vivo? Headquartered in Dongguan, Vivo is a Chinese electronics brand founded by Shen Wei in 2009.