Brazilian Serie A game abandoned after Ponte Preta fans invade pitch in anger over relegation
Fans streamed on to the playing surface and angrily confronted their goalkeeper, Aranha
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Brazilian first division game between Ponte Preta and Vitoria was abandoned on Sunday when Ponte fans invaded the pitch.
Ponte, the home team, had just conceded to be 3-2 behind and with eight minutes to go were heading for relegation when fans streamed on to the playing surface and angrily confronted their goalkeeper, Aranha.
The majority of players fled the pitch as police battled to contain the fans. The defeat means Ponte will be relegated to Serie B with one game remaining of the season.
“I’d like to thank the true Ponte Preta fans that came, applauded and supported us but I can’t condone the pitch invasion,” said Ponte’s president, Vanderlei Pereira.
“I know everybody was on edge, no one likes to get relegated like that, but there’s no justification for vandalism.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments