Brazilian soccer fan killed in clash between rival gangs

A 20-year-old soccer fan was hacked to death and dozens were arrested after a brutal clash between rival soccer gangs, police confirmed Monday.

Rafick da Silva Cancio was lashed three times with a sickle when a brawl erupted Sunday during a chance meeting of Flamengo and Botafogo fans. Cancio, a fan of Botafogo, died before police arrived to stop the melee.

"It was inhuman," officer Delis Prates said.

The fans, in two bus convoys, arrived late for the game and were turned away from the stadium in Volta Redonda, 108 kilometers southwest of Rio, media reported. They were returning to Rio when a Botafogo bus stopped with a flat tire and the Flamengo group pulled up.

The buses emptied and the fans brawled with sticks and stones. A Flamengo fan reportedly found a sickle left near the roadside by a fruit vendor and attacked Cancio.

Police arrested about 160 fans - mostly from the Flamengo Young Fans group - although most were later released.

Flamengo, a five-time national champion, is Brazil's most popular club but is struggling this season to avoid relegation, the AP reports.

V.Y.