Three fans shot outside Brazil World Cup stadium

Natal, Feb 10: Three fans have been shot outside the Arena das Dunas World Cup stadium in Brazil’s latest outbreak of football violence.

Police said the shots were fired by two men on a motorcycle after the Rio Grande do Norte state championship match between America and Santa Cruz Saturday night, Xinhua reported Monday.

“We don’t have the names of the injured fans, but they are in a stable condition with injuries that aren’t life threatening,” police spokesman Francisco Araujo Silva said.

It wasn’t the first incident involving fans in Natal this year. Before the stadium’s inauguration in January, police arrested two men who shot at a group of rival fans just a few kilometres (miles) away.

Fan violence has been common in Brazil as it finalizes its World Cup preparations.

Just a week ago, Corinthians fans invaded the team’s training centre and threatened players.