8 Killed In Cup Final Celebration

Eight people were shot dead in various districts of a suburban Sao Paulo town yesterday as fans celebrated the victory of local team, Palmeiras, in the Brazilian Cup final, police said.

A total of nine people were shot, eight of whom died in Osasco, the fifth most populous town in Sao Paulo’s sprawling metropolitan area, they added.

A statement from the military police said the assailants took advantage of the commotion caused by exploding fireworks to attack the victims.

It, however,  insisted that the killings were not linked to the Palmeiras victory celebrations as initially thought.

“None of the victims wore Palmeiras jerseys” and the relatives did not make a link with the Palmeiras celebrations, the statement noted.

The shooting occurred in districts known as drug markets.

Official statistics put the average murder rate in Osasco, home to 680,000 people, at 11 per month.

Sao Paulo team, Palmeiras, won the Brazilian Cup 3-1 on aggregate late Wednesday after drawing 1-1 in the second leg of the final against Curitiba in the capital of the southeastern state of Parana.

Palmeiras thus earned the right to compete next year for Copa Libertadores, South America’s elite club competition, along with Sao Paulo rival, Corinthians.

Corinthians, the reigning Brazilian champions, last week won Copa Libertadores for the first time, defeating Argentina’s Boca Juniors 2-0 in the second leg of the final before an ecstatic home crowd of 40,000.

The Corinthians prevailed 3-1 on aggregate as the two teams drew the first leg 1-1 in Buenos Aires last month.