Six players from Brazilian club Fortaleza were taken to the hospital after the team bus was attacked on Wednesday by fans of rival club Sport, who allegedly used explosives and rocks to carry out the assault.
Fortaleza were on their way back from a 1-1 draw at Sport when the incident occurred outside Arena Pernambuco, where the match was staged. Fortaleza CEO Marcelo Paz said the most severe injuries were sustained by goalkeeper Joao Ricardo, who received six stitches, and defender Gonzalo Escobar, who received 13 stitches and suffered head trauma. Videos on social media appeared to show massive rocks that landed inside of the bus with several players bloodied.
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) condemned the incident the following day and described those who committed the attack as criminals.
"I wish a speedy recovery to all the players and professionals on the technical committee who were victims of this crime," CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues said in a statement issued on social media. "The CBF will continue relentlessly in its demands and actions so that any and all acts of violence are erased from Brazilian football."
It is the latest incident of fan violence outside soccer stadiums in Brazil, something the CBF also expressed remorse over in the same statement.
"It is regrettable and unacceptable to start another year by drawing attention to this very serious issue of violence outside stadiums," the confederation said. "The CBF trusts in the work of the police and the competent authorities so that those responsible for these acts are punished exemplarily, without prejudice to other applicable measures."
Paz's condemnation was much stronger, though. He accused the perpetrators of launching a premeditated attack, per Brazilian media outlets, and complained about overall inaction from Brazilian authorities to address instances of fan violence.
"Are you going to wait for someone to die?" he asked.
Fortaleza are scheduled to return to play next week against Fluminense in Copa do Brasil action but it is unclear if the team will be ready for the matchup. Paz said that doctors will be visiting the players at their homes on Thursday since they have the day off, but insisted that "Fortaleza should only play again when its players have recovered, even to set an example."
