RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) Rio de Janeiro football club Botafogo confirmed the death of a fan who was shot outside its stadium, the same venue used for athletics at the Olympics.
In a statement, the club said it was “deeply sorry for the death” of the fan identified as 28-year-old Diego Silva dos Santos, who was shot on Sunday as rival fans clashed before the match between Botafogo and Rio rival Flamengo. Flamengo won the match 2-1.
Many police in Rio are going unpaid or being paid late, with reports of crime soaring in a deeply divided city.
Confrontations between rival fans are common before matches in Brazil, though deaths are rare.
Botafogo’s stadium was called “Olympic Stadium” by the International Olympic Committee. Officially, the stadium is called Nilton Santos Stadium, although it is commonly known around the city as the Engenhao.
When it was built a decade ago, the venue was named for former FIFA president Joao Havelange. His name was dropped this week by the city of Rio de Janeiro, and the stadium renamed for Nilton Santos, a former player with the club.
