A flying toilet bowl has taken the life of a Brazilian soccer fan, according to a new report from Globoesporte .
Yes, in news that might be considered funny if someone weren’t actually killed, 26-year-old Paulo Ricardo Gomes da Silva was struck and killed instantly after an unidentified fan (or group of fans) managed to hurl a toilet bowl from the stadium stands at a match in eastern Brazil.
Reuters , reporting on the Globoesporte item, said that the incident occurred outside of Arruda Stadium in Recife on Friday after Santa Cruz and Parana finished in a 1-1 draw.
Police Captain Wilson Queiroz said it started with a “big fight” in front of Gate 6 “that resulted in the death of the fan.”
“The toilet was thrown from the stands and hit him full on,” he added, noting that the young man was probably killed instantly.
Police believe that the victim was with others at the time of his death, but everyone fled the scene following impact.
BBC added that police had previously told visiting fans to leave the stadium earlier to avoid clashes, “but they were ambushed by a faction of the Santa Cruz fans.”
The investigation remains underway. Earlier in the year, Santa Cruz supporters launched another flying toilet bowl attack at fans of their local rivals, Sport, but no casualties were reported.
Reuters points out that this is just one of many incidents to happen as of late that has global soccer fans questioning the sanity of hosting the 2014 World Cup in the country two months from now. The news site claims that “preparations have been marred by delays, cost overruns, construction accidents, and protests.”
“Daily shootouts and recent police slayings of two alleged drug traffickers rattled two of Rio de Janeiro’s most prominent slums earlier this year, while at least 39 homicides were committed during a two-day police strike in and around the northeastern city of Salvador,” Reuters reports.
A number of fatal accidents have also come about as the result of new stadium construction throughout the country.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter believes the event will still be successful in spite of the turmoil, encouraging fans to remain optimistic.
Still, when you hear stories like that of the flying toilet bowl, and this one about a referee who first killed a player only to be decapitated by a mob of angry fans, optimism is a bit hard to come by.
Do you think the World Cup 2014 should be moved and rescheduled as a result of the animalistic behavior from some soccer fans?
[Image via Flickr Creative Commons ]
