Hundreds of fans fought and chased players

Riot in Brazilian football tournament: Hundreds of fans fight, chase and beat players.

The incident occurred after Coritiba scored the opening goal in the first minute of injury time of the second half. Hundreds of Cruzeiro fans rushed onto the pitch, chasing away players, followed by a crowd of home fans. A melee between hundreds of people occurred right at the Durival Britto stadium, interrupting the match.

Security guards were on hand to quickly escort the players into the tunnel. On the other hand, police armed with guns, shields, and batons were mobilized to disperse the chaotic crowd.

The police had to use tear gas, but the fans of both teams remained aggressive and threw punches and kicks at each other. The referee waited until the police had cleared the stands before allowing the match to resume.

In the end, Robson's goal helped Coritiba win by a narrow margin, thereby causing Cruzeiro to miss the chance to escape the relegation danger zone in the Brazilian league.

However, Cruzeiro still has a great chance to stay in Serie A, because they have played 2 games less than the team above, while the gap is only 1 point (37 compared to 38). As for Coritiba, the team at Durival Britto Stadium is close to the door of relegation, with only 29 points.

Coritiba and Cruzeiro fans have had a long-standing feud. That is why the organizers always have to deploy security forces many times more than usual to be ready to deal with incidents like the one in the last match.

In 2012, another riot occurred in the Brazilian National Championship, leaving 4 fans injured and dead when they came to watch the match between Corinthians and Palmeiras. These two groups of fans also had a "deep hatred". With just one provocation, they were ready to rush at each other, regardless of their lives.

Minh Tu