Special Court for Soccer Hooligans

In 2014, one of the greatest sporting events in the world will fall upon Brazil when the FIFA World Cup takes place. As with any soccer match, there are bound to be a few hooligans that stir up some trouble and make things hard for the rest of the fans. To answer this, the Bar Association of Brazil (OAB) has set up special courts to try cases involving fights in the stadium where the penalty is a fine or community service rather than jail time.

However, not everyone is ok with the idea and FIFA officials are currently trying to stop the installation of the courts.

“The presence of the courts in football stadiums prevents the occurrence of the impunity of those who go to the games to create confusion and not to cheer for their respective teams,” said Marcus Vinicius Furtado, the national president of the OAB.

He went on to say that FIFA must respect the autonomy of Brazil and Fan Statute. The courts will be in place for the Confederation Cup this summer and the World Cup in 2014. On top of that, he notes that these courts will be critical for handling fan conflicts during these two competitions.

Courts like these were in place in 2010 when the World Cup was in South Africa and, with over a billion dollars or more in potential tourism revenue at stake, these issues need to be resolved sooner rather than later.

A resolution is expected soon, as the Confederation Cup starts on June 15. Anyone that is planning on visiting Brazil for the World Cup or companies that want to do business in the country during the event need to partner with Brazilian lawyers to make sure they understand any new or altered laws that the World Cup will bring.