Two soccer fans killed in Brazil

Two Brazilian soccer supporters have been killed by rivals fans, in an incident close to one of next summer’s World Cup stadiums.

Reports from Globo, a Brazilian television network, suggest that the two victims, who were fans of Cerea, were shot in the head by supporters of rival team Fortaleza in a vehicle.

Cerea had won the game 1-0 but their fans had earlier caused havoc by launching stones at the other supporters prior to the game, newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo reported.

With the Arena Castelao hosting games at this summer’s Confederations Cup and next year’s World Cup, the stadium has been undergoing rigorous safety tests. Tiago Paes, a local organising committee official for the World Cup, believes there are no security issues with the venue or its surrounding area.

“There is a lot of training work by the military police, civil police and even the army,” he said.

The incident near the stadium is another in a string of worrying moments in Brazil, with regards to the hosting of the World Cup in 2014 and Olympics in 2016.

Brazil’s iconic Maracana stadium, one of the most famous and iconic soccer venue’s in the world, is struggling to keep up with its schedule ahead of the World Cup, while Joao Havelange, Rio’s Olympic stadium, has been closed for the foreseeable future.

The Confederations Cup takes place between 15th to 30th June 2013, while the World Cup, soccer’s greatest tournament, runs from 12th June to 13th July 2014.