Violence at football game shocks Brazilians
巴西向足球流氓宣战 严打球场暴力

With disturbing images of fans fighting shown across Brazil and on screens throughout the world, FIFA have been quick to downplay the risk of violence inside stadiums during the World Cup.

The violence happened on Sunday, hundreds of fans from Atletico Para-nan-say and Vasco da Gama charged clashed in a series A game causing the match to be halted for over an hour each. People were seen throwing kicks and punches while armed with sticks and metal bars. At least four people were seriously injured.

Only private security guards were patrolling and it took a while before military police arrived to take control. A police helicopter landed on the field to airlift one of the most seriously injured to hospital. Relegated Vasco da Gama say they deserve the three points because they claim it wasn’t safe to resume playing. It could see their relegation overturned.

"Football should never be a place or a stadium should never be place where you are fighting - where there is a war between fans. So again it is a question of security within the stadium. It is a question of making sure that you have the right level of security and the right level of organisation to ensure that groups do not meet, that they cannot fight and it is a definitely a level of security in this stadium that is not what we (FIFA) will have at the World Cup. But at the World Cup I cannot say it will not happen 100 percent but 99.99 percent - yes it will not happen and it cannot happen. We have the highest level of security within the stadium with stewards as we have the highest level of security around the stadium. But again it is a sad picture for the sport," FIFA Secretary-General Jerome Valcke said.