A provincial Brazilian side whose player-chairman is 1999 world player of the year Rivaldo was Friday slapped with a ban following "racist acts," the regional Sao Paulo Football federation (FPF) said.
According to media reports, visiting Santos midfielder Arouca said he had to run the gauntlet of monkey chants during Wednesday's 5-2 win at Mogi Mirim in the Sao Paulo league.
Sao Paulo's sports justice tribunal ruled Arouca had been the victim of a racist slur warranting closure of Mogi Mirim's stadium pending an investigation.
"This decision is necessary knowing that the actions of supporters of Mogi Mirim indelibly stain sporting discipline but also basic principles of civility," the Federation said on its website.
"The stadium suspension will stay in place until a final decision of a disciplinary process is set in train to determine what happened," the tribunal said.
Rivaldo responded in a statement on the club website.
"If there has been a case of racism against Santos' Arouca then I am against this attitude of people who do not respect others -- we are all equal," he said.
The 2002 world champion added the club would investigate and punish those responsible but said he did not think the ban justified.
"I do not agree with this punishment of the club -- we cannot control fans' mouths. The club is responsible if there is fighting, a pitch invasion or missiles are thrown on the pitch," he said.
The incident was the second this week involving racism in Brazilian state football with a referee called a "monkey" and told "get back to the jungle" during a match in the Rio Grande do Sul state championship."
Afterwards, the referee, Marcio Chagas da Silva returned to find bananas left on his car windshield and told RBS television he found "being denigrated for the color of my skin quite repulsive."
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