BARMY BRAZILIANS COPY CANTONA

Last updated : 15 March 2005 By editor

The Guardian reports:

‘A Brazilian referee said he had no regrets after punching a fan who ran onto the field to attack him during a derby match on Sunday. Television pictures showed that Luiz Carlos Silva landed several punches at the shirtless supporter who invaded the field in injury time of Sunday's America-Atletico Mineiro derby in Belo Horizonte.

‘"Everything I did yesterday, I did conscientiously and I would do it again," Silva told Brazilian media on Monday. "I'm a self-employed worker and if that guy had landed a punch, I could have been off work when I've got five children to raise. I had to defend myself and I did it by going onto the attack. If I had run away, it would have looked bad. I was not prepared to suffer this embarrassment with my children watching (on the television)."


‘The incident sparked a five-minute brawl as Atletico Mineiro players tried to protect the supporter from the police.’