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On April 6, in the first round of the 2022 Copa Libertadores E, Baliga powerhouse Corinthian lost 0-2 at home to Bolivian team Preparers. After the game, some extreme Corinthian fans vented their anger on Corinthian goalkeeper Cassio and his wife Yanara Llorente. On Sacker, the two even received death threats.
Cassio (Image from UOL Brazil)
According to Brazilian media reports, extreme fans used pictures, audio and video to intimidate Corinthian goalkeeper Cassio and his wife, Saqel, through social media. One of the visual messages contained a revolver and a bullet that had passed through the neckline of a Corinthian jersey. In addition to cassio's family, central defender Gill, who played for Shandong Taishan, and midfielder William have also been targeted by these extreme fans. After the incident, the Brazilian police intervened in a timely manner, and after investigation, the police have confirmed that at least 7 fans are involved in the "Internet riot", and one of the fans has been arrested by the police. Inside the police station, the man apologized to Cassio and his family, "I want to apologize to Cassio and his whole family, I did this because I was out of control, in fact, I didn't mean to hurt anyone, I was too impulsive, too much." Although the fan is now on parole, he will still be duly punished for "threatening and intimidating crimes".
Extreme fans arrested by Brazilian police (image from the Brazilian UOL website)
It is worth mentioning that in Brazil, known as the "kingdom of football", similar incidents occur from time to time. Tardelli, who previously played for Shandong, had a terrifying scene after returning to the Baliga. After a match, Tardelli, who was playing for Santos in the Bajia team, was first stopped by local extremist fans, after which the mob began to smash his car in a frenzy and clamor for him to die. Just as Tardelli was trapped in the car and panicked, fortunately, a policeman passed by, and the mob rushed to escape, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable.
Images from social media
After Cassio and his family were subjected to death threats from extreme fans, Corinthians spoke out in solidarity with their players, writing in the announcement: "Regardless of victory or defeat, the rights of players in terms of physical and mental health must be guaranteed, and we ask fans to respect the players and their families." Corinthians strongly condemns the death and threats of violence from extreme fans about goalkeeper Cassio and his family, and the club has called on the relevant parties to take appropriate measures to protect the safety of athletes. We hope that the police will be able to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice. ”
Image from the Goal website
In addition, Corinthians' midfield core and former Guangzhou foreign player Paulinho also condemned the behavior of extreme fans on personal social media. Talisca, who had played with him in Guangzhou, also retweeted the long article as a sign of support.
Paulinho: Given the regrettable events of recent days, I have to speak out in public. I would say that what we are facing at the moment is beyond football itself and involves areas that are about "justice". I am also a person with a family, and everything I do is for a stable life. Nowadays, the lives and families of the players are threatened, and these threats have affected the mood of the team, which we do not want to see. And we can't face the news reports on sports sites as we usually do, because they are too extreme. Our professionalism, past honors and triumphs have all been obliterated, why?!
Talisca retweeted Paulinho's article
In the early morning of April 11, Beijing time, in the first round of the new season of the Baccala League Corinthians away 3-1 away to Botafogo, Paulinho also used his own practical actions to fight back against those fans who questioned and attacked them. In the 17th minute of the game, the "Violent Bird" inserted in the middle of the road received a pass from Willian and kicked a cushion shot to open the team's record. This is also the second time that the Brazilian has scored for Corinthians in the Baliga after a gap of nine years, and the last time he scored in the Bajia was in May 2013, coincidentally, the opponent at that time was also Botafogo. After joining Corinthians in January, Paulinho quickly became the centrepiece of the team's midfield. So far, he has made 20 appearances for the team in all competitions, scoring 6 goals and 1 assist.
After scoring, the 34-year-old Paulinho was so excited that he crossed the billboard to celebrate.
It is worth mentioning that as a veteran strong team in the Brazilian League, Corinthians has become an ideal place for Brazilian foreign aid in the Chinese Super League to "return home". At present, as many as 6 players in the Corinthian squad have left their footprints in the Chinese Super League, they are Former Shandong Taishan foreign aid Gill and Guedes, Beijing Guoan former foreign aid Augusto, Guangzhou former foreign aid Paulinho, Jiangsu Suning former foreign aid Ruo and Tianjin Moras. I don't know if they will exchange experiences in the Chinese Super League after competition and training...