Violence at World Cup stadiums mars state finals

By Andrew Downie SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Police fired percussion grenades inside the Castelao arena as fans fought pitch battles at the 2014 World Cup stadium on Sunday following the end of the Ceara state championship final. The 2-2 draw gave the title to Fortaleza, who had beaten city rivals Ceara 2-1 in the first leg last week. Fortaleza fans invaded the pitch to celebrate but attacked their rivals with sticks, seats and even parts of the stage being prepared for the prize-giving ceremony. Police fired smoke bombs in a bid to try and clear the pitch. "The stadium's infrastructure wasn't made for Brazilian football fans," Lt Col. Aguinaldo, commander of events policing for the state police, told the Globoesporte web site. "It's easy for fans to invade the field like this. Holding back a rebellious mob is difficult." The 63,000-seat stadium was completely rebuilt for the World Cup last year and hosted six games, including two that featured the host nation. There was also trouble at a World Cup venue in Porto Alegre, where Gremio fans ripped up seats in Internacional's Beira-Rio stadium after their team had lost the state title. Police used pepper spray to prevent more trouble. The incidents came on a day of state championship finals across Brazil. The most notable result came in the southern state of Parana, where Operario beat Coritiba 3-0 away from home to lift the first state title in their 103-year history. Santos beat Palmeiras on penalties to take their 21st Sao Paulo state championship after winning the match 2-1 and level up the tie 2-2 on aggregate. In Rio, Vasco beat Botafogo 2-1 in front of 66,000 people at the Maracana to lift their first Carioca title since 2003. The win means Vasco coach Doriva becomes the first manager to win back to back titles in Rio and Sao Paulo, a year after lifting the Paulista trophy with Ituano. The other big win was in Salvador where Bahia beat Vitoria da Conquista 6-0 to overturn a 3-0 first leg deficit. Atletico Mineiro won the Minas Gerais state title by beating Caldense 2-1. Former Manchester City and Everton striker Jo got the winner with his first goal for more than a year. (Reporting by Andrew Downie, editing by Nick Mulvenney)