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Fans seriously injured after violence halts Brazilian league match Fans seriously injured after violence halts Brazilian league match
(about 1 hour later)
A Brazilian league match between Atlético Paranaense and Vasco da Gama was stopped for more than an hour on Sunday after fans started fighting in the stands and a helicopter had to land on the pitch to airlift a seriously injured man to hospital. Bloody fighting between rival fans in Brazil interrupted a key end-of-season match on Sunday, leaving several fans seriously injured and raising fresh concerns about security ahead of the World Cup.
/>Play between Atletico Paranaense and Vasco da Gama was held up for more than an hour after supporters in the stands attacked one another, resulting in a melee of kicks and punches that was eventually broken up by police using rubber bullets.
/>One of the injured was so badly hurt that he had to be airlifted out of the stadium in Joinville, a city in the south of Brazil, where the pitch became a makeshift heliport. The authorities said at least two others fans have been hospitalised and are in a serious condition.
/>"This is deplorable," Vasco da Gama coach Adilson Batista told reporters. "It's sad to see images like these just before the World Cup in our country. I'm shocked, this is not sport."
/>Although it was a crunch game – Atlético Paranaense were bidding for a spot in next year's Copa Libertadores, while Vasco da Gama, were fighting relegation – the thousands of fans were separated by only 80 private security guards when the fighting began after 15 minutes. Police and medical staff arrived later.
/>"We tried to tell the fans to stop because things would only get worse. We looked at the stands and there were no cops. There was nobody there to stop the fighting," Atletico Paranaense defender Luiz Alberto said. "I've playing for 20 years and I've never seen anything like this. We will have a World Cup in our country and we know these images will be shown everywhere."
/>Coming two days after the draw for next year's tournament, the clash has highlighted the problem of football violence in Brazil, where it is often linked to armed criminal gangs. By one estimate, more than 150 people have been killed in clashes in and around stadiums over the past 25 years.
/>Among many recent incidents, the most horrific was the beheading of a referee after he stabbed a player to death for disputing one of his decisions during an amateur match in the northern state of Maranhão. Although the fighting tends to be associated with league clubs rather than the national team, World Cup organisers will be concerned by the issues of policing, judicial response, gun crime and wide inequality that contribute to such violence.
Fan violence has been rampant in Brazil this year, raising concerns for the World Cup finals in June. "This is deplorable," said the Vasco coach, Adilson Batista. "It's sad to see images like these just before the World Cup in our country. I'm shocked. This is not sport."
A doctor said two other fans were in serious condition and one was treated for a minor injury at the stadium in the southern city of Joinville.
Supporters from Paranaense and Vasco charged each other until police arrived and fired rubber bullets. Television images showed players yelling at the fans and telling them to calm down. Some players put their hands on their heads as they watched the fight. A few fans tried to leave the stands to find safety, including a young woman. A ball girl was shown crying.
"We tried to tell the fans to stop because things would only get worse. We looked at the stands and there were no cops. There was nobody there to stop the fighting," said the Paranaense defender Luiz Alberto, who was shown crying profusely as the altercation was taking place. "I'm playing for 20 years and I've never seen anything like this in person. We will have a World Cup in our country and we know these images will be shown everywhere."
One Paranaense supporter was caught in the middle of several Vasco fans and was hit several times. A Vasco supporter also became separated from his group and was attacked by rivals.
"This is very sad, I've never seen anything like this," the Paranaense midfielder Everton said. "One of the fans was alone on the ground and he was being hit for about 10 minutes without anybody doing anything. They wouldn't stop hitting him."
The match restarted after an hour and 10 minutes
Police were not in the stands when the fighting began behind one of the goals in the stadium. A police official said about 80 private security guards were on hand to make sure the fan groups remained separated.
"It's a private event, so the security was being provided by a security company hired by Paranaense," a police officer told reporters.
The referee stopped the match after 15 minutes, with Paranaense leading 1-0. After the fighting was over, a police helicopter landed near one of the goals to airlift the most seriously injured fan to a hospital.
"Three fans were in serious condition but two of them were conscious," doctor Jose Eduardo Dias said.
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