Soccer fans are known for being fanatical about their loyalties, of rioting when their team wins a big victory and brawling when their team loses, but a Bazillian police officer raised the game this week when he fired a rubber bullet at post-game brawlers.
In the aftermath of a regional match between the Brazillian teams of Centro Oeste and Grêmio Esportivo Anápolis, which Centro Oeste won by a 2-1 margin, an altercation erupted between players. Police were quickly called to intervene in the fracas, as reported by the Globo newspaper from Brazil, per a write-up in TMZ.
Video of the scene shows a cop physically pushing one of the players away before firing a rubber bullet into his thigh at point-blank range. The bullet struck goal keeper Ramón Souza of the Grêmio Esportivo Anápolis team. The impact injured Souza, who can be seen limping away as the cop who shot him appears to taunt him.
Souza received first aid to staunch his excessive bleeding from medical personnel stationed on the field. He was subsequently rushed to the hospital where he received further treatment.
Grêmio Esportivo Anápolis released an Instagram statement about the incident, calling the officer’s conduct “unbelievable” and “criminal,” and expressing horror at the actions of a person who was charged with ensuring the safety of the people in the Jonas Duarte Stadium.
The team’s spokespeople also provided updates on Souza’s condition through their social media accounts. They have assured the public and all their fans that while the injuries sustained by the goalkeeper were severe and temporarily debilitating, he was not at risk for complications that would put his life in danger, and he is expected to make a full recovery and eventually return to the field.
Local police in Brazil have issued their own public statements, in which they acknowledge the severity of the situation and the apparent misconduct. They have vowed to conduct a thorough investigation.
