Dirty TackleMaracana Stadium considers ban on standing, flags, instruments and shirtlessness
The recently rebuilt Maracana Stadium proved it could retain its legendary atmosphere even with FIFA's stringent rules in place during the Confederations Cup and now the building's management is looking to extend the sterilization measures to the club level. All the way down to asking fans to keep their shirts on. In Brazil.
Fluminense have already signed a deal to play their home matches at the Maracana and Rio's three other top-flight clubs (Vasco da Gama, Flamengo and Botafogo) are expected to follow suit. But the rules are changing from the raucous days of the old Maracana.
From Reuters:
"We are going to talk to the clubs about a change of habit," Joao Borba, president of the Maracana Consortium, told the daily newspaper Extra.
"I'm talking about bamboo (supports for flags), firecrackers, watching matches standing up."
The report added that a ban on musical instruments was also under consideration and that fans would be told not to take their shirts off.
So will fans who take their shirts off during matches get booked like players who do it? Either way, telling Brazilians to keep their clothes on is like telling Andrea Pirlo not to have a beard. You just don't do it.
