Scots caught in football shirt furore in Brazil

Published on 02/10/2012 00:00

A SCOTTISH teenager had to be protected by police at the end of a Brazilian league match after she angered fans by asking an opposing player for his jersey.

Meanwhile a Scottish tourist at another game was forced to hide his Celtic shirt because it had the colours of a rival club.

Promising Brazil star Lucas said he “witnessed a lamentable scene” when he tried to give his jersey to the girl after Sao Paulo’s match against Coritiba on Sunday. He said Coritiba fans “tried to attack the girl and her father” because she asked for the shirt.

In Sao Paulo, fans of Corinthians threatened the Scottish tourist because of his green and white Celtic jersey, the colours of city rival Palmeiras, and forced him to hide it.

Lucas, who has a huge fan base in Brazil, said he was trying to give the girl a gift after she supported him and yelled his name through the match at Couto Pereira stadium in Curitiba.

“I was very scared at the time, a lot of people gathered around them and forced her to give the jersey back,” he said.

Television images showed dozens of police officers taking the girl and her father away as fans yelled at them, pointing fingers and making threats.

“It was really very sad,” the player later said on Twitter.