VIOLÉNCIA NOS ESTÁDIOS

Commissioned by the Federação Paulista de Futebol to promote non violence at State Championship football matches, we really like these posters by Luiz Lemos.

The posters feature artwork showing the respective mascots of Palmeiras, Corinthians, Santos and Sao Paolo having been on the end of a severe kicking. 

The artwork is unlikely to make a huge impact, but is a highly necessary attempt to reduce violence in the charged atmosphere of Paulista matches.  The competition has devalued significantly in recent years, with the top clubs from the Sao Paolo region focussing on the more lucrative Campeonato Brasileiro and Copa Libertadores.  However the Paulista remains a hugely significant, almost tribal, event for many fans in the state.

Recently, four Botafogo fans were wounded by gunshots after their team’s game against Flamengo in Rio and a study in 2010 confirmed that more than forty people were killed in connection to Brazilian football matches between 1999 and 2009.  A government crackdown with harsher punishments for convicted assailants has attempted to make an impact, but there is still some way to go to reassure many that Brazil has its house in order.  With the World Cup just over two years away, any progress will be welcome.