Soccer Fans Hurt In Brazil
A fence collapsed during a championship soccer game Saturday, crushing spectators at a crowded stadium and leaving 90 fans injured.
There were no immediate reports of deaths. The injured were taken to Rio's Souza Aguiar Hospital, where the holiday medical staff was reinforced. Three fans were reported seriously injured.
Police and medics treated the wounded and helped them to ambulances and helicopters while players and team officials gathered on the field to debate whether to restart the game.
The state governor, Anthony Garotinho, suspended the second leg of the Joao Havelange Cup final between Vasco da Gama and Sao Caetano.
Outside the stadium, there was chaos. Ambulances, sirens wailing, slalomed through badly parked cars while worried mothers rushed from nearby homes to search for their sons.
Overcrowding at the 35,000-capacity stadium appeared to be the main problem. Officials said 33,000 tickets had been sold, but many fans arrived with children who entered the stadium without tickets.
The crush happened 23 minutes into the game at Sao Januario Stadium with the score 0-0. Two minutes after Vasco's star striker Romario strained his leg and was replaced by Viola there was a sudden movement in the upper rows on one side of the stands.
Fans began to press forward, sending those in lower rows sprawling and pressing fans in the bottom rows against the metal fence. The fence buckled and collapsed. Some fans were caught, others scrambled onto the field.
The suspension left in doubt the outcome of the Brazilian championship. After the teams tied 1-1 in the first leg in Sao Paulo, Vasco needed only a goalless tie Saturday to win the crown.
After the suspension was announced, Vasco players did a victory lap and president-elect Eurico Miranda claimed his club was champion.
Adhemar, Sao Caetano's top striker, made an appeal on Radio Bandeirantes for organizers to postpone the game and schedule a rematch.
"It would be very difficult to continue playing after this," he said. "We saw people falling, children receiving first aid, a sorry situation. There are no conditions or climate for the match to continue."
Soccer federation officials were to meet and announce a decision probably on Tuesday, according to Agencia Estado.
Vasco officials had declined to play at Rio's bigger Maracana Stadium, preferring their home turf.
"We could have ended the year with one more title," Romario said. "But there were no psychological conditions to continue."
After the suspension was announced, fans started to calmly exit the stadium, past the mangled fence.
"I didn't see what happened," said Leonardo Santos, 20, who was limping out of the stadium with the help of friends. "Suddenly there were a lot of people falling on top of me, landing right on my leg."
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