Policemen fire rubber bullets as they help an Atletico Paranaense fan during clashes between Vasco da Gama soccer fans and Atletico Paranaense fans at their Brazilian championship match in Joinville in Santa Catarina state December 8, 2013.
With the 2014 World Cup in Brazil just months away, the nation’s soccer season ended on Sunday with bloodshed and police firing volleys of rubber bullets at enraged supporters.
Players called on fans to restrain themselves as fights erupted in the stands during a match between Atletico Paranaense and Vasco da Gama. According to the Associated Press, two people sustained serious injuries during the melee, which resulted in the police calling in a helicopter to airlift a wounded spectator.
“We looked at the stands and there were no cops. There was nobody there to stop the fighting,” Atletico Paranaense defender Luiz Alberto told the AP. Officials stopped the match for more than one hour, allowing police to the bring the crowd to heel.
[AP]
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