Posted by On 30 June 2013, in Pio XII, in the Brazilian state of Maranhão, 20-year-old Otávio Jordão da Silva was refereeing a pick-up game between locals. After a fight he stabbed player Josemir dos Santos Abreu to death. Spectators invaded the pitch, stoned him, beheaded him, quartered him and put his head on a stake. Only one suspect was arrested.
Brazil is famous not only for its natural beauty, but also for extreme poverty and violence. And it was in an episode of extreme violence that some fans lynched, mutilated and beheaded a referee after he had stabbed a player.
Otávio Jordão da Silva
Otávio Jordão da Silva Cantanhede was a 20-year-old from Maranhão, the region in north-eastern Brazil where he lived. On 30 June 2013 he was refereeing a match on a pitch in Centro do Meio, in the municipality of Pio XII, when he decided to send off a player, 31-year-old Josemir dos Santos Abreu.
In fact, according to witness accounts gathered later, it was not even an official match: it was an improvised game between locals, the teams had no names, and Otávio was only refereeing because he had hurt his foot and could not play.
Josemir did not take the young referee’s decision well, refused to leave the pitch and attacked him, throwing a punch. Otávio then pulled a knife from his pocket and stabbed him several times. Josemir died on the way to hospital.
Once they heard the player had died, the spectators, including Josemir’s friends and relatives, poured onto the pitch and the horror began.
The referee mutilated and beheaded
The fans tied the young referee up and stoned him. Luis Moraes Souza, 27, smashed a bottle on his face. Another took the knife the referee had used to stab the player and stabbed Otávio in the neck.
The others began to mutilate him, cutting off his arms and legs, then beheaded him. The young referee’s head was stuck on a stake and planted in the middle of the pitch.
Those responsible
Police managed to arrest Luis Moraes, while two other people who took part in the atrocious crime, including a brother of the dead player, were not caught. The police chief, Valter Costa, commented:
One crime will never justify another
Brazil is known for its violence, although it is usually concentrated in the favelas or among rival gangs. This chilling episode, however, shook not only Brazil but the rest of the world too, since the following year Brazil was due to host the football World Cup.
That is precisely why the Brazilian police were keen to point out that it was an “isolated episode” and did not reflect their ability to guarantee security during the World Cup.
Paulo Storani, a security expert, said:
While it is true that Brazil is used to episodes of violence in football, this crime is out of the ordinary and completely different from the episodes that usually happen
A video is circulating online showing medical staff reassembling Otávio’s mutilated body, with images too graphic to be shown here.
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