A Brazilian football club has recruited mothers of
troublesome fans as stewards in a bid to prevent supporters from
fighting.
Sport Club do Recife, based
in the north-east of Brazil,
has a history of violence.
Tensions are never higher than when the team faces off
against cross-town rival Nautico in their annual derby, the Clássico dos
Clássicos.
A group of 30 mothers were assigned to patrol the perimeter
fence of the stands wearing vests emblazoned with "Seguranca Mae" -
security mums in Portuguese.
"At the end of the day, no one wants to fight in front
of a mother, especially his own," said Aricio Fortes from Ogilvy, who came
up with the idea.
"The idea was to make the most fanatical supporters
aware and help in some way to bring peace to stadiums."
Recife's
violent history has been well documented.
According to the US department of state, it has some
of the highest levels of assault in the country, and its football games are no
exception.
Gangs from the neighbouring favelas often form groups known
as torcidas organizadas, which function in much the same way as England's
hooligan 'firms'.
The bitter rivalries between clubs like Nautico, Sport Club
do Recife and
Gremio have the propensity not only to inspire riots, but also murder beyond
the grounds and back in the favelas.
Between 1988 and 2013, there were 234 soccer-related deaths
in Brazil,
including 30 in 2013.
Initiatives like that of Sport Club do Recife have however mostly improved the
experience of fans over the past decade, coupled with a big push to curb fan
violence during the World Cup.
The security mums seemed to do the trick. Sport Club do Recife defeated Nautico
1-0 and no arrests were made.
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