Brazilian football fans attack keeper and steal kit before big match

With the Olympics in Rio 2016 on the not so distant horizon, there was disturbing news of alleged Football fan trouble at the weekend's match between Flamengo and Macae. Normally the trouble is limited to the stands and terraces or maybe the area outside the stadium, but the oddity of the incident this time around was that it appears to have occurred within the opposition's changing room before the match had even begun.

It is alleged that a small number of Flamengo fans managed to make their way into the visitors' dressing room while the away side's manager was delivering his pre-match pep-talk and instructions.

In the melee and pandemonium that ensued thereafter, Macae's coach Josue Teixeira has stated that: "They stole the players' equipment and attacked them and the coaching staff."

As a visible indication of the fighting that broke out, the Macae goalkeeper Ricardo Berna sported a plaster to his chin throughout the game, which was allegedly to cover a cut he sustained during the fans' attack. He was vehement in his feelings regarding the current state of football in the country as he claimed that: "Brazilian football is a disgrace. We need severe punishments for this."

For their part, officials on the Flamengo side have asked for further details to be made available to them, before they decide on whether they need to take any action and if so, what form the action should take.

In support of his cautionary approach to the incident, Flamengo president Eduardo Bandeira de Mello added that he found it slightly strange that the intruders had "entered the changing room by the front door and left by the front door without being identified," when discussing the incident with Sportv.

Despite the alleged altercation before the match had even started, Macae held the hosts to a 1-1 draw in the Rio de Janeiro state championship match.