Violence at World Cup will not be tolerated, says Brazil
The recent outbreak of hooliganism, which marred a weekend first division match, must not happen again, say tournament hosts
Brazil has pledged to stamp out stadium violence after hooliganism marred a weekend first division league game, raising fresh doubts about its ability to stage a trouble-free World Cup.
President Dilma Rousseff said Brazil could not and would not tolerate soccer violence after fans of Atletico Paranaense and Vasco Da Gama fought pitched battles in the southern city of Joinville.
Graphic television footage showed hundreds of fans of both sides kicking and punching for several minutes with the game only a few minutes old, forcing the referee to call a halt for an hour as order was belatedly restored.
This violence goes against all that we associate with football. The presence of police is necessary in stadiums
The violence continued unabated as the hooligans ran amok, clashing in several sections of the stands. At least three fans were hurt with one, believed to have suffered a fractured skull, airlifted to safety by helicopter.
There was further controversy after police failed to intervene and it later transpired that Atletico had only drafted private security to police a "private event".
Rousseff was energetic in her condemnation. "A footballing country cannot live with violence in its stadiums. This violence goes against all that we associate with football," the president said. "The presence of police is necessary in stadiums," she added.
Sports minister Aldo Rebelo also condemned the violence and vowed his ministry would be asking why military police had not been on hand. "Those responsible must be identified and punished," Rebelo said.
And Andrei Rodrigues, a justice ministry official dealing with security during major events, said that what happened in Joinville "will not happen again during the World Cup".