Brazil bans caxirola at Confederations Cup

Rio de Janeiro, May 28 (IANS)

Brazil’s official World Cup instrument has been banned from next month’s FIFA Confederations Cup.

The decision follows an incident last month in which supporters hurled hundreds of caxirolas onto the pitch, forcing the match to be stopped, during the Bahia-Vitoria clash at Salvador’s Fonte Nova Stadium, reports Xinhua.

“Fans will not be allowed in stadiums with musical instruments and that includes the caxirola,” Confederations Cup security chief Medeiros Hilario said Monday.

“We will apply this measure during friendly games, then during the Confederations Cup.”

The Confederations Cup, considered a dry run for next year’s World Cup, will be held from June 15-30.

The caxirola ban also applies to Brazil’s international friendly against England at the official reopening of Rio’s Maracana Stadium Sunday.

It comes a little more than a month after president Dilma Rousseff gave her backing for the “beautiful and transcendental” caxirola to be the official Confederations Cup and World Cup instrument.

The instrument was inspired by the success of the vuvuzela – a plastic horn – at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Brown last month said the caxirola had been given approval to join governing body FIFA’s line of official World Cup products.