Death of Otávio Jordão da Silva

Otávio Jordão da Silva Cantanhede

Otávio Jordão da Silva Cantanhede, a Brazilian amateur football referee,^[1] was lynched, quartered and beheaded by football spectators after he stabbed a player in a match he officiated on June 30, 2013.^[2][3]

Incident

On June 30, 2013, Otávio was refereeing an amateur football match at Pio XII, in Maranhão, Brazil.^[4][5] Otávio sent off player Josemir Santos Abreu, 31, who refused to leave the field and began a fight with the referee. Abreu threw a punch, which prompted Otávio to draw a knife from his pocket and repeatedly stab Abreu. Abreu died on the way to the hospital.^[2][6] When fans watching the game, including Abreu's friends and family, found out about his death,^[7] they invaded the pitch^[8] and stoned Cantanhede, before decapitating him, quartering him,^[9] and putting his head on a stake in the pitch.^{[2][10][11][12][13]} Police chief Valter Costa was quoted as saying "One crime will never justify another".^[2][14]

Suspects

One suspect was arrested.^[3] However, police were searching for two more people,^[6] including Abreu's brother.^[15]

Viral video

A graphic video surfaced online shortly following the incident that shows medical personnel reassembling Otávio's body.^[16]

Response

In October 2013, former Brazilian football player João Rodrigo Silva Santos, 35, was beheaded and his head was dumped on his front doorstep. He had been abducted the night before by two men who forced him into a vehicle.

The double murder in Maranhão, Brazil and the second football related beheading in less than a year has led to questions regarding the safety of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.^[4][17]

References