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| Corinthians ordered to play behind closed doors after flare kills boy | |
| (about 14 hours later) | |
| The Brazilian football club Corinthians have been ordered to play their upcoming home matches in the Copa Libertadores behind closed doors, according to reports, after their fans were accused of killing a young Bolivian supporter with a flare. /> />Bolivian police have opened an investigation after the 14-year-old died during Bolivian side San Jose's match against the Brazilians on Wednesday. /> />The move is temporary until Conmebol, the South American football confederation, can make a definitive ruling in the case, ESPN Brasil, O Globo and the Folha de S Paulo newspaper reported, citing a Conmebol official. /> />The decision would be a major blow to Corinthians, the Sao Paulo club that won the Libertadores for the first time last July before beating Chelsea in December to win the World Club Cup. | |
| It means their famously passionate fans will be banned from next Wednesday's home game against Colombian side Millonarios and subsequent home matches against Sao Jose of Bolivia and Tijuana of Mexico. /> />Corinthians had already boasted of selling 83,500 tickets for the three matches. The Libertadores Cup – South America's equivalent of Europe's Champions League – is the biggest prize in Latin American football. | |
| The boy was killed when a flare hit him in the eye during the 1-1 draw between San Jose and Corinthians. | |
| Doctor José Maria Vargas told local media at the Hospital Obrero in Oruro: "There was a loss of brain matter as the projectile, a plastic tube, penetrated the skull. Due to this, death was immediate." | Doctor José Maria Vargas told local media at the Hospital Obrero in Oruro: "There was a loss of brain matter as the projectile, a plastic tube, penetrated the skull. Due to this, death was immediate." |
| A dozen Corinthians supporters identified by Bolivian police were arrested and a spokesman for San Jose said a criminal investigation would be opened. | A dozen Corinthians supporters identified by Bolivian police were arrested and a spokesman for San Jose said a criminal investigation would be opened. |
| The boy, identified as Kevin Beltran, a San Jose fan, was hit by the flare minutes after Corinthians took an early lead. Despite the incident occurring early in the match, play continued and San Jose later equalised. | The boy, identified as Kevin Beltran, a San Jose fan, was hit by the flare minutes after Corinthians took an early lead. Despite the incident occurring early in the match, play continued and San Jose later equalised. |
| Local reports said many fans near the incident left the Jesús Bermudez Stadium in tears, while others turned on the visitors, chanting "murderers" and targeting Corinthians officials who were escorted away by police. | Local reports said many fans near the incident left the Jesús Bermudez Stadium in tears, while others turned on the visitors, chanting "murderers" and targeting Corinthians officials who were escorted away by police. |
| Sources said the remains of the flare did not correspond to the kind seen in Bolivia where football hooligans or demonstrators use carton fireworks with no plastic parts, suggesting it may have been brought into the country. | Sources said the remains of the flare did not correspond to the kind seen in Bolivia where football hooligans or demonstrators use carton fireworks with no plastic parts, suggesting it may have been brought into the country. |
| At the end of the 1-1 draw the Corinthians coach, Tite, told reporters he would gladly exchange their Club World Cup win over Chelsea last December to bring the boy back. | At the end of the 1-1 draw the Corinthians coach, Tite, told reporters he would gladly exchange their Club World Cup win over Chelsea last December to bring the boy back. |
| He said: "I know that this won't take any of the pain away from the family but I would swap the world championship for the life of the child. I'm so sorry about what happened tonight." | He said: "I know that this won't take any of the pain away from the family but I would swap the world championship for the life of the child. I'm so sorry about what happened tonight." |
| Ending the press conference early, he said: "We can't talk about football, my players and I feel the same. We couldn't utter a word in the dressing room. I didn't want to be here, what happened is too heavy to be able to talk of football." | Ending the press conference early, he said: "We can't talk about football, my players and I feel the same. We couldn't utter a word in the dressing room. I didn't want to be here, what happened is too heavy to be able to talk of football." |
| The club's director of football, Edu Gaspar, later gave an emotional interview to reporters, saying: "There is no greater pain in the world than this. How we can we help the family at a time like this? We have to do anything we can. | The club's director of football, Edu Gaspar, later gave an emotional interview to reporters, saying: "There is no greater pain in the world than this. How we can we help the family at a time like this? We have to do anything we can. |
| "When it happened people were swearing at us and so we had to get out of the area. Our journey home will be tough. There is not much more I can say now other than to express our regret." | "When it happened people were swearing at us and so we had to get out of the area. Our journey home will be tough. There is not much more I can say now other than to express our regret." |