Brazil: Clashes erupt between fans, police during football victory parade

Clashes broke out between police and fans in Rio de Janeiro on November 24 amidst the celebrations of Flamengo's Copa Libertadores victory. According to international media reports, thousands of supporters flooded into the streets and the city centre to welcome back players from the Flamengo team. A fight broke out towards the end of the victory parade when a group of supporters started to throw rocks, beer bottles and other objects at police. The police authorities also reportedly used batons against fans. Some officials responded with tear gas as well to control the crowd. 

It is still not clear as what triggered the violence, however, a local media reported that a vehicle had turned off main road when some of the fans tried to break through the security cordon. The disturbances were later eased and streets were eventually cleared. The team's victory over the Argentinian side River Plate had elated the spirits of Brazilians. The team had not won the Copa in 38 years while the Brazilian rivals had won five of the previous competitions. The victory led the team 13 points ahead of Palmeiras with four games of the Serie A season remaining. Palmeiras lost 2-1 in Lima, Peru and on the other hand Brazilian team won the league and the Libertadores in the same year since Pelé’s Santos in 1963. 

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Bahia: Brazil's most progressive club

While Flamengo won the match, Esporte Clube Bahia may not be the most well-known team in Brazil's Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A, but the Salvador-based club is starting to grab headlines. When the Bahia players walked on to the pitch for their game against Ceara last month, fans in the stadium wondered what was different in the kit that the Bahia players wore on the day. On closer observation, the Bahia red and blue kit appeared to have splotches of black on the neck, armpits and hem region.

While the black splotches may have looked odd at first, the significance of the spots would be understood after an explanation from Bahia President Guilherme Bellintani. Bellinatni pointed out that for the last month or so, tons of thick crude oil had been washing up on beaches in the northeast of Brazil. The Brazilian government themselves did little to provide answers to the questions surrounding the washed-up oil polluting the beaches and waters of Brazil. Bahia as a club, therefore, decided to draw attention to the oil spill by speaking up and making a statement on the pitch in front of the myriad spectators in the stadium.

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