12th September, 2014
Arsonists in Brazil set fire early Friday to the house of a woman who shouted a racial slur at Santos goalkeeper Aranha at a match two weeks ago, media reported.
Patricia Moreira was vilified on social media after she was caught on television shouting ‘macaco’ (monkey) at the shot-stopper during an August 28 cup game against Brazilian top-flight outfit Gremio.
Pictures of the blackened entrance to her home were published by Globo daily and Veja magazine.
Moreira was among a group of Gremio fans who stood just behind Aranha’s goal in the southern city of Porto Alegre, chanting insults and making monkey noises during the match.
In response, Gremio were thrown out of Brazil’s main cup competition in unprecedented punishment. Brazil’s sports justice tribunal also imposed a 50,000 reais ($20,000) fine against Gremio, who have appealed their ban.
The occurrence was the latest of a series of racist incidents at matches in the football-mad country.
It was also the second incident this year involving Gremio fans. The first earned the club a fine of $35,000.
Law enforcement officials said Friday afternoon they had arrested one suspect in connection with the fire, which local police delegate Tiago Baldin earlier said “bears every sign of being of criminal origin.”
Moreira, 23, and her family were not at home at the time of the attack.
Moreira lost her job after the incident and has been subjected to a welter of criticism on social media sites. She has also reportedly received threatening text messages.
Last week she made a tearful statement to the police and media in which she apologized to Aranha and denied being a racist.
She said she simply shouted out “in the heat of the moment” as her team was losing.