Anger and the Soccer Field - South American Style

But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, 

you will be liable to judgment...

Matthew 5:22

 

If you had been in Maranhao, Brazil last Sunday, you definitely would not have wanted to take in the local amateur soccer game (known as football in South America).

 

Apparently footballer Josenir dos Santos Abreu (age 30) got into a heated argument with referee Otavio Jordan da Silva (online reports give his age as 20, but the photographs look like a kid about 15).  Santos was angry about one of the ref's calls, and when that anger erupted during the shouting match, da Silva ordered the player off the field.  Abreu refused to leave, began insulting the ref, and then struck him.  The ref struck back, stabbing Abreu with a knife that he had apparently been carrying throughout the game (I did not realize that was standard equipment for referees).  Abreu was rushed to the hospital, but died of his wounds in route.

 

A senseless tragedy, right?  Believe me, it gets far worse.  The fans were now furious at the disruption of their game, as well as the loss of one of their players.  So a group of spectators from the stands (reportedly including Abreu's family and friends) cornered the referee Otavio, tied him up, beat him, stoned him, lynched him, and (hopefully after he was dead) decapitated and quartered him.  Then they put his head on a stake and placed it in the middle of the football field.  All this "action" was, of course, videoed by onlookers utilizing their cell phones. It appears that no one tried to stop the carnage.

 

Flaring anger and knock down-drag out fights are nothing new to amateur and professional sports.  After all, much of the brutality is viewed as entertainment by the audience. The tragedy in Maranhao, Brazil, however, gives a clear indication of what can happen when a situation erupts within a culture that places very little value on human life.  Brazil is less than a year away from hosting the 2014 World Cup.  I hardly think this was the international press coverage that they were hoping for.

 

Anger is a basic human emotion.  Learning to control one's temper is one of the early lessons we teach our children.  We want them to understand that anger has a way of blossoming into rage, and unchecked rage leads to hatred.  To lose control of your anger is to lose control of yourself.