SAO PAULO: World and South American champions Corinthians of Sao Paulo have won a reprieve over the closed-doors punishment inflicted after the death of a teenage supporter in Bolivia.

CONMEBOL, the South American confederation, has eased a 60-day fan ban on Corinthians in the Copa Libertadores after just one match, against Colombian club Millonarios last week.

Instead it imposed a $200,000 fine and banned Corinthians’ supporters from attending away games in its international club tournaments for 18 months.

The original punishment had been estimated as likely to cost Corinthians $650,000 per match.

Arrests

CONMEBOL acted after a game against San Jose of Ouro, Bolivia, on February when a firework let off by a Corinthians fan hit and killed and 14-year-old supporter, Kevin Beltran.

A dozen Brazilians were arrested in connection with the incident and are now awaiting trial in a Bolivian jail accused of murder.

The 12 have protested their innocence and a 17-year-old later came forward in Brazil to claim responsibility for setting off the firework.

San José have also been fined $10,000 and both clubs have been warned they and their fans are on probation over the next five years.

Corinthians won the Copa Libertadores for the first time last July before beating Chelsea in December to win the world club title. Their next Libertadores tie is home to Mexico’s Tijuana on Wednesday.

# # # #