Brazil Woman Under Fire After Racial Chant at Soccer Game

Some classy fans of the Brazilian soccer team Gremio got caught on video chanting "monkey" and making ape gestures at an opposing black goalie. Now a woman who was identified via social media as one of the participants has publicly apologized to the goalie, named Aranha, reports the BBC. Lawyers for Patricia Moreira say she also wants to meet Aranha to apologize in person, but he's not interested. Moreira says she's lost her job and gotten death threats since being outed.

The club, meanwhile, has been banned from the Brazil Cup this year over the incident and fined about $22,000. The team also got fined earlier this year when fans heaped similar abuse on another black opponent. "Football MUST be stronger in tackling racism,'' FIFA chief Joseph Blatter said via Twitter. "Brazil has sent the right message, banning a team from the Cup due to `fans' abuse.'' As for Moreira, she has been questioned by police and could face jail time under Brazil's racism laws, reports Fox Sports. (More soccer stories.)