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Argentine hooligan leader detained at World Cup

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s Justice Ministry says police have detained the alleged leader of Argentina’s infamous football hooligans inside a World Cup stadium.

The ministry says Pablo Alvarez was taken into custody Saturday at the Brasilia stadium where Argentina beat Belgium 1-0 in the quarterfinals.

A ministry statement says Alvarez will be deported after federal police, and Argentine police working with them in Brazil, have finished taking statements from him.

Brazilian authorities have taken precautions to halt known hooligans from entering Brazil for the World Cup, and are deporting those who make it inside the country.

Earlier in the tournament, two suspected members of Argentina’s hooligan gangs — known in Spanish as “Barras Bravas” — were deported after being detained inside the Mineirao stadium where Argentina beat Iran 1-0.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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