Brazilian authorities have contacted police in seven countries around the world to request the details of known hooligans who may try to enter the country during the 2014 World Cup, press reports here on Sunday revealed.
The request was made by the Secretaria Especial de Grandes Eventos - a government department set up to help with the organisation of events such as the World Cup and the 2016 Olympics - to police authorities in Argentina, Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, South Africa and Poland, according to the Folha de Sao Paulo daily.
"Any supporter identified as being problematic by police in their home country will not be granted a visa to enter Brazil," the newspaper claimed.
Security forces will also carry out border controls in a bid to find troublemakers coming from countries where no visa is required to enter Brazil.
Federal police in Sao Paulo recently expressed concern at the possible threat posed by terrorists during the World Cup, and said that they were preparing for "quite a heightened risk of an attack."
The security plans are being put in place at a time when authorities are also racing against the clock to finish stadium construction and improve the country's transport infrastructure.
Hundreds of thousands of foreign tourists are expected to come to Brazil, with games being staged in 12 different venues around what is a vast country.
Source: AFP
