Corinthians sorry as fans get shirty with Celtic fan

By GERARD COUZENS
Published on 08/10/2012 02:05

BRAZILIAN club Corinthians are trying to track down a Celtic-supporting holidaymaker threatened by their fans after being mistaken for a rival supporter.

Angry Corinthians fans hounded him in a VIP section of their ground in Sao Paulo after he turned up in a Celtic shirt featuring the same green and white colours as their arch rivals Palmeiras. Police had to rescue the mystery man as they threatened to remove his top by force.

The tourist had to end up covering his Celtic shirt with a jumper and moving to a different part of the stadium. Now Corinthians’ bosses have launched a public appeal for the Scot to contact them so they can invite him back and make amends. The club wants to gift him a Corinthians’ shirt, give him a tour of their stadium and introduce him to some of their star players.

Marketing director Ivan Marques said: “It’s obvious he had no idea of the rivalry between Corinthians and Palmeiras and ended up being threatened. We want to show him he is welcome back here. If he is still in Brazil and responds to our appeal, we will invite him to meet the manager and the players.”

Brazilian papers have published pictures of the balding Scot, dressed in jeans and a Celtic shirt, being escorted by armed officers away from danger. The incident happened Corinthians’ match against Sport Atalaia on September 30.

His ordeal came on the same day hooligans at another match tried to attack a teenage girl and her dad when she asked an away player for his shirt after the game.

A source close to Corinthians and Palmeiras said: “Wearing green and white when you’re surrounded by Corinthians’ supporters is liking waving a red flag in front of a bull.”