Rio de Janeiro, Dec 13

The Brazilian government has backed a plan to dock points from teams whose fans are found guilty of violent behaviour.

The proposal was raised by the National Sports Council (CNE), an arm of the sports ministry, Thursday in response to a stadium riot that halted a Brazilian league match for an hour Sunday, reports Xinhua.

"The idea of stripping teams of points is a good one," Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo told reporters.

"A club prefers to pay three million reais (about $1.2 million) than lose three league points. Clubs can always find ways to get money but you cannot get points back," he said.

According to the CNE, the proposal could be approved before the 2014 Campeonato Brasileiro season.

Meanwhile, three fans have been charged with attempted homicide for their role in Sunday's melee during the Vasco de Gama-Atletico Paranaense match in Joinville, Santa Catarina state.

A police spokesperson said Arthur Barcelos Lima Ferreira, 26, Jonathan Fernandes dos Santos, 30, and Leone Mendes da Silva, 23, were remanded at the Joinville Penitentiary and kept in isolated cells for security reasons.

The incident raised fresh doubts about Brazil's ability to successfully host next year's World Cup.

World football's governing body FIFA released a statement Monday in which it condemned the violence and guaranteed fan safety during the June 12-July 13 tournament.

Brazil's World Cup preparations have also been plagued by stadium construction delays and frequent violent anti-government protests that started since the Confederations Cup in June.

Earlier this month two workers died when a crane collapsed at Sao Paulo's Itaquerao stadium.

By:IANS