Hugo slams fan attack at Corinthians, calls for punishment | OneFootball

Goalkeeper Hugo Souza condemned the assault he suffered at the end of the match between Athletico-PR and Corinthians on Wednesday, during the first leg of the Copa do Brasil quarter-finals. A fan of Furacão invaded the Ligga Arena pitch and attacked the Timão player, who won the match 1-0.

In the mixed zone, Hugo said he thought about retaliating but kept a cool head to avoid a possible expulsion. The goalkeeper urged the authorities to ensure the episode “does not go unpunished.”

“When I saw him coming towards me, our instinct is: ‘If he comes, he’ll get it.’ But I couldn’t. I had to stay calm, any action could have led to my expulsion and harmed the team. When he got close, he realized the mistake he made,” said the goalkeeper.

“We must condemn this behavior, it cannot exist. It’s unacceptable for someone to invade the field to attack a player. It ruins the beautiful celebration that Athletico-PR fans had in the stands. I hope they take some action and this does not go unpunished,” he added.

(Photo: Luis Garcia/ Agif/Gazeta Press)

The attack on Hugo Souza occurred in stoppage time, at the 52nd minute of the match in Curitiba. Shirtless, the fan ran towards the athlete and pushed him, being restrained by defender André Ramalho until security arrived.

The act was recorded by referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio in the match report and could lead to penalties for Athletico-PR in the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD), as provided by article 213 of the Brazilian Code of Sports Justice (CBJD).

“When disorder, invasion, or object throwing is of high severity or causes harm to the progress of the sports event, the entity may be punished with the loss of home advantage for one to ten matches, events, or equivalents, when participating in the official competition,” says the article.

It is worth remembering that in 2022, Santos was penalized for a similar situation. A Peixe fan invaded the Vila Belmiro pitch and attempted to kick Cássio, who was then defending Corinthians. However, the Timão goalkeeper was defended by Marcos Leonardo, then an Alvinegro Praiano forward.

As punishment, the club from Baixada Santista had to pay a fine of R$ 35,000 and had to host two Copa do Brasil matches the following year behind closed doors.

With the victory over Athletico-PR, Corinthians only needs a draw in the return leg to advance to the next phase of the Copa do Brasil. A defeat by one goal difference takes the match to penalties, while a loss by two or more goals eliminates the team from São Paulo. The winner of the clash will face Cruzeiro or Atlético-MG in the semi-finals.

The second meeting between the teams is scheduled for September 10, also at 9:30 PM (Brasília time), at the Neo Química Arena.

Before that, Corinthians has nothing less than a Derby ahead. Dorival Júnior's team will host Palmeiras this Sunday in Itaquera, for the 22nd round of the Brazilian Championship. The classic will start at 6:30 PM.

Meanwhile, Athletico-PR returns to the field a day earlier, on Saturday, against Novorizontino, for the 24th round of Serie B. The match kicks off at 8:30 PM at the Ligga Arena.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.