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Brazil beefs up security at World Cup stadium

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AP Sao Paulo
Brazil reinforced security personnel at the World Cup's Castelao stadium in Fortaleza because there were not enough private security guards hired by FIFA, the international soccer governing body, the justice ministry said.

Ministry spokeswoman Barbara Lobato said the "government made the decision to guarantee the safety of fans inside and outside the stadium."

She said the ministry did not know the reasons behind the partial absence of guards under contact to FIFA.

Officials found there had been an insufficient number of private guards at the stadium for Saturday's Uruguay-Costa Rica match.

The World Cup Organizing Committee said FIFA and the Brazilian government agreed to increase security due to the "dimension" of Tuesday's game between Brazil and Mexico. State police troops, federal police agents and members of the elite National Force were deployed at the stadium. Lobato would not say how many troops were used.
 

The newspaper Estado de S. Paulo said that on Sunday more than 200 private guards failed to show up at Brasilia's Estadio Nacional when Switzerland played Ecuador.

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First Published: Jun 18 2014 | 10:43 AM IST

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