Fortaleza: six players are injured after attack – 02/22/2024 – Sport

Six players from Fortaleza, from Brazil’s first division, were injured in an attack by rival fans on the bus transporting them after a match for the Copa do Nordeste, the club reported this Thursday (22).

The vehicle transporting the team “was attacked with explosive devices and stones by Sport fans at the exit of Arena Pernambuco, after the game for the Copa do Nordeste”, which ended in a 1-1 draw on Wednesday night (21) , in the city of Recife, indicated the team from the state of Ceará in a statement.

Goalkeeper João Ricardo, defenders Titi and Dudu and midfielder Lucas Sasha, as well as Argentine defenders Gonzalo Escobar and Emanuel Brítez, were injured, apparently not seriously, the statement said.

After the attack, the players were “quickly” taken to the nearest hospital in Recife, where they were treated for cuts, bruises and injuries caused by fragments of broken glass.

The match corresponded to the fourth round of the group stage of the Copa do Nordeste, a competition played at the beginning of the season by teams from the Brazilian region.

The attack was condemned by most Brazilian clubs, who at the same time showed solidarity with Fortaleza, runner-up in the 2023 Copa Sudamericana, a tournament that will compete again this year.

“Sport Club de Recife strongly repudiates the acts of violence committed against the Fortaleza delegation bus”, wrote the traditional northeastern team, which currently competes in the second division, in a message on the X network.

Fortaleza, led by Argentine Juan Pablo Vojvod, leads Group B of the Copa do Nordeste with seven points, while Sport is second in Group A, with the same score.