By Michael Place
RIO DE JANEIRO, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Vasco da Gama have been ordered to play home matches behind closed doors after the violent death of a fan, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said on Monday.
Davi Rocha Lopes, 27, was gunned down following Vasco's 1-0 defeat to Flamengo at the Sao Januario stadium in Brazil's Serie A championship on Saturday.
Three other people were taken to hospital after the clashes involving rival fans and police, two suffering from gunshot wounds, according to authorities.
"The CBF has taken the step of prohibiting games with the presence of fans at the Sao Januario stadium until further notice," the organization said in a statement.
The Brazilian Superior Sports Tribunal issued a separate statement on Monday saying that it had also barred Vasco from using the venue due to public safety concerns. A decision to lift the ban rests with the CBF, the tribunal said.
Fan violence has long tormented Brazilian football, particularly in the country's two biggest cities: Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.
In February, a Rio court banned visiting fans from attending matches involving local clubs Flamengo, Fluminense, Vasco da Gama and Botafogo. The decision was overturned last month on appeal.
A report in the Globo newspaper on Monday said that at least 20 football fans have died in the past two decades because of violence.
