This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/dec/08/fans-injured-violence-brazilian-league-match

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Fans seriously injured after violence halts Brazilian league match Fans seriously injured after violence halts Brazilian league match
(about 13 hours later)
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. 		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.
Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.