Father of Palmeiras player reports panic in futsal fight against Corinthians

This Saturday (27), the final of the Under-18 Metropolitan Championship futsal in between Palm trees It is Corinthiansin São Paulo, almost ended in tragedy.

With 28 seconds left until the end of the match and with Verdão winning 5-2, fans of the black and white team invaded the court and started a huge mess.

A general fight broke out at the Presidente Ciro II Gymnasium, in the East Zone of São Paulo, with regrettable scenes.

A ESPN spoke with Donizetti Alves, father of Felipe Alves, Verdão’s under-18 regular and winger, who reported moments of panic in the stands.

According to the fan, it all started with a “normal” push between the young athletes, but it got worse after members of Corinthians’ main organized fans decided to enter the court.

“I was very upset with everything that happened, because the players are children, right? My son, for example, is 16 years old. They dreamed so much about this game, about this final… They had been training a lot, working a lot, so much It’s just that they smashed the game”, he highlighted.

“The score was 5-2 with about 30 seconds to go, then the Corinthians boys lost their line a little because they were losing, I think they were confident they were going to win… Then the normal pushing and shoving started, but there’s always a more nervous than the other, right? A little confusion started, but that confusion of a 16-year-old boy, a push from here, a slap from there, but nothing too violent”, he continued.

“In the stands, there were only parents and hands of athletes, there were no organized Palmeiras fans. The guys from the Corinthians fans were cowards, they lost their line, they hit everyone. All the Palmeiras players got hit, they hurt their neck. One got hit punch in the face, another in the mouth, they kicked a boy on the floor…”, he lamented.

“It was God who acted so that it didn’t end up in a greater tragedy. A player’s mother also had a seizure, fell ill and ended up in the hospital. Another boy went to the hospital covered in bruises. It was very unpleasant”, he added.

Just as Palmeiras and Corinthians did in official notes, Donizetti also pointed out that the São Paulo Futsal Federation did not act correctly in organizing security for the classic.

“It was a very ugly episode. The Federation, being a private body, said that the police could not interfere. I have never seen that in my life!”, he exclaimed.

“It was a Palmeiras x Corinthians game in which it was premeditated that there would be chaos, because (Corinthians fans) had been saying all week that they were going to invade. Then, when it came time for the game, there wasn’t a police officer there! We were beaten in a cowardly way Thank God there wasn’t a greater tragedy”, he concluded.

The match was declared suspended by referee Felipe de Fábio Ventura. With that, Palmeiras finished as champions.

Palmeiras and Corinthians position themselves

In an official statement, Palmeiras accused Corinthians fans of having carried out a “brutal attack” on athletes, including minors, and also the players’ families.

According to the alviverde team, “several” were injured, but not seriously.

“The club will take all appropriate measures and register a police report so that the attackers can be quickly identified and punished by the competent authorities. At the same time, we will provide all the necessary support to our young athletes, who are naturally shocked by the moments of terror experienced”, wrote the Palestine club, which also blamed the São Paulo Futsal Federation for what happened.

“We also demand that the São Paulo Futsal Federation be held responsible for its negligent and irresponsible conduct. Even given the history of violence involving grassroots competitions in the sport and the successive warnings made by Palmeiras, the entity proved – once again – incapable of offering adequate security, putting the physical integrity of our players and fans at risk”, he pointed out.

The under-14 and under-16 finals, which were also scheduled for this Saturday, were postponed at the request of Verdão.

Also in an official statement, Corinthians said that it “strongly repudiates” what happened this Saturday and stressed that it will be “available to collaborate in the investigation of the facts”, in addition to demanding “the authorities punish those responsible”.

Just like Alviverde did, Timão also held the Paulista Futsal Federation responsible for the chaos.

“In recent days, the club has repeatedly notified the São Paulo Futsal Federation about the risks that the confrontation could generate. It is urgent, therefore, that the institution takes responsibility, especially when ignoring a history of violence in competitions in its youth gym , not offering adequate security and putting, once again, the physical integrity of our players, committee, families and fans at risk”, he concluded.

Read the Palmeiras statement

Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras repudiates the cowardly attacks suffered by athletes from our under-18/17 futsal team during the decision of the Metropolitan Championship, against Corinthians, this Saturday, at the Ginásio Presidente Ciro II, in São Paulo (SP).

On that occasion, fans of our opponent invaded the court and brutally attacked Verdão players, including minors, leaving several of them injured – luckily, not seriously. Relatives of the athletes and Palmeiras residents present at the gym were also attacked and their clothes were torn.

The club will take all appropriate measures and register a police report so that the attackers can be quickly identified and punished by the competent authorities. At the same time, we will provide all the necessary support to our young athletes, who are naturally shocked by the moments of terror they have experienced.

We also demand that the São Paulo Futsal Federation be held responsible for its negligent and irresponsible conduct. Even given the history of violence involving grassroots competitions in the sport and the successive alerts made by Palmeiras, the entity proved – once again – incapable of offering adequate security, putting the physical integrity of our players and fans at risk.

At the request of Palmeiras, the finals of the under-14 and under-16 categories of the tournament, which were scheduled for this Saturday, were postponed.

Read the Corinthians statement

Sport Club Corinthians Paulista strongly repudiates the episode of violence that occurred during the decision of the Metropolitan Championship, against Palmeiras, this Saturday morning (27), at the Ginásio Presidente Ciro II, in São Paulo (SP).

In recent days, the club has repeatedly notified the São Paulo Futsal Federation about the risks that the confrontation could generate. It is urgent, therefore, that the institution assumes responsibility, especially by ignoring a history of violence in competitions in its youth gymnasium, not offering adequate security and putting at risk, once again, the physical integrity of our players, commission , family and fans.

The club remains available to collaborate in the investigation of the facts and will demand that the authorities punish those responsible.

As a result of the events, the final game of the U12 category, against the Ypiranga team, was postponed.