SAO PAULO — A football fan was killed in a weekend fight between rival groups in central Brazil, the fourth fatality resulting from fan violence in less than a month.
Authorities on April 1 said 23-year-old Diego Rodrigo Costa de Jesus died after being shot in the back during a confrontation between supporters from Goias and Vila Nova in the central city of Goiania on March 31.
Two Palmeiras fans were killed last week in a fight at Sao Paulo, and a Guarani supporter died about two weeks ago about 100 kilometers away.
A series of incidents related to fan fighting at the beginning of 2012 had already raised concerns with Brazil hosting the 2014 World Cup. Fan violence had appeared to be mostly under control in the past few years but the recent surge has authorities scrambling to find solutions for the change.
Police in Rio detained 60 Botafogo fans who reportedly were waiting for buses carrying rival Fluminense fans near the Engenhao stadium, where the teams played on April 1. The group, including about 10 minors, were carrying rocks and pieces of wood, according to police. The fan group was not allowed to enter the Engenhao.
In southern Brazil, a few supporters from Gremio and Pelotas invaded the field after the match and confronted each other and police, but no serious injuries were reported.
The death occurred in the same city where four Goias fans were wounded by gunshots in January. De Jesus was also a Goias supporter.
Authorities said fight on March 31 began when the rival groups ran into each other at a public park in Goiania. A Vila Nova fan reportedly was armed and started shooting, and de Jesus was hit while trying to run away. Police said de Jesus had a disability in one of his legs and was not able to flee with his colleagues.
Authorities detained seven people accused of participating in the fight on March 31evening, but it wasn’t clear if the suspected shooter was among those in custody.
Last Tuesday, 19-year-old Palmeiras supporter Guilherme Vinicius Jovanelli Moreira was declared brain dead after injuries sustained in a fight involving nearly 500 people just before a match between Palmeiras and Corinthians on March 25.
A day earlier, 21-year-old Palmeiras fan Andre Alves was buried after dying from a shot in the head in the same confrontation, which also left a 23-year-old shot in the hip a 17-year-old hospitalized with head injuries.
Police closed the headquarters of fan groups from Corinthians and Palmeiras and detained a few people suspected in participating in the fight. The fan groups also were prohibited from attending matches.
There hadn’t been a death linked to fan violence in Brazil since early last year, when a Corinthians supporter was killed after reportedly being ambushed by Palmeiras fans. Police believe last weekend’s fight came in retaliation for that death.
About two weeks ago, a 28-year-old fan of small club Guarani died from head injuries after fighting with Ponte Preta supporters in the city of Campinas.
Fan groups from the top Sao Paulo state clubs — Palmeiras, Corinthians, Sao Paulo and Santos — have been involved in several incidents before matches this year, but there have been recent problems in other parts of the country too.
In addition to the four Goias fans wounded in a shooting in January, other four were shot after a fight that left 80 people detained in Rio de Janeiro late last year, and there were also confrontations between rival groups in the northeastern state of Bahia.
Another death related to fan violence in Brazil occurred in November 2010, when a 19-year-old Cruzeiro fan was repeatedly beaten with iron bars during a brawl between dozens of rival fans in Belo Horizonte.
