Brazil to ban racist fans from World Cup

Rio de Janeiro, March 26: Football fans with a track record of racist abuse will be barred from entering Brazil during this year’s World Cup, the government announced.

Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo Tuesday warned international fans would be vetted when entering the country while Brazilians guilty of previous race-based charges will be denied entry at stadiums, reports Xinhua.

“Those found guilty of racist offenses need to be severely punished,” Rebelowas quoted saying by Estado de S.Paulo.

“A fine is not enough. Racist fans need to be identified and banned from stadiums. We can’t allow Brazil to become a stage for racist protests during the World Cup.”

Rebelo’s comments come in the wake of a series of racist incidents to tarnish South American football.

Among the targets of abuse in recent weeks have been former Brazil international midfielders Arouca and Tinga while playing for Santos and Cruzeiro respectively.

Earlier this month Brazil President Dilma Rousseff vowed to make the anti-racism message a theme of this year’s World Cup.