Brazilian police criticised the structure of Fortaleza’s World Cup stadium yesterday after supporters of Fortaleza and Ceará rioted on the pitch following their State Championship final game.
The match at the Castelão finished 2-2, giving Fortaleza, 2-1 victors in the first leg, their first state championship title in five years. However, players’ celebrations were cut short as fans of both sides invaded the pitch on the final whistle, fighting running battles using poles and broken seats as makeshift weapons, before police using percussion grenades eventually managed to clear the field.
Colonel Aginaldo, chief of the Military Police’s Event Policing Battalion, told Globo Esporte: “The physical structure of the stadium is not made for Brazilian supporters. It facilities invasion of the field, principally in this kind of situation. To counter a crowd in rebellion is difficult.”
