Shocking moment ex-Liverpool and Barcelona star Philippe Coutinho's interview interrupted by gunshots
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
GUNSHOTS interrupted a TV interview with Liverpool legend Philippe Coutinho.
Loud gunfire likewise erupted when his Vasco da Gama team-mates Leo Jardim and Nuno Moreira went in front of the camera pitchside.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
4
Philippe Coutinho appeared to to take it in his stride
4
Brazilian keeper Leo Jardim laughed readily during the incident
Fans were shocked by the scenes in Rio de Janeiro - but many were amazed above all by the reaction of all three players.
Former Barcelona midfielder Coutinho, 32, paused before turning around grinning and sharing a jokey comment.
His fellow Brazilian, ex-Lille keeper Jardim, burst out laughing.
And Portuguese winger Moreira stood calmly and quietly with a smile on his face before crossing his arms.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
SOLD TRAFFORD Man Utd put every star up for sale as cup loss leaves 'em in financial ruin
Four of Brazil's biggest teams are in the high-crime city of Rio.
Vasco, Fluminense, Botafogo and Flamengo are bitter rivals.
But some areas of the city -usually impoverished neighbourhoods called favellas - have a history of gang violence.
And when clips of the interviews were posted online, fans were stunned by how the three stars made light of gunshots.
One fan wrote: "The craziest thing is that no one even moves. Like normalizing things is really scary."
Another posted: "The tranquility of the Carioca people[Rio residents] listening to the bullets flying still impresses me. "
4
Nuno Moreira also reacted coolly
But a third argued: "Embarrassing. They have to move the training centre out of the middle of this favela. It's embarrassing. For the love of God."
A fourth pointed out: "Vasco and Fluminense's training centers are on the same street, practically next to Cidade de Deus.
"It's not a good location. But when it comes to the city of Rio de Janeiro, no place is a good place."
And a fifth madean even more sobering claim.
They wrote: "This is Rio de Janeiro without makeup, not what the authorities try to sell to outsiders. Most Cariocas (sur)vive daily under these conditions of imminent risk when leaving their homes. Devastating and revolting."
Coutinho is on loan in his home country from Aston Villa after spending last season with Qatari club Al-Duhail SC.
His career has gone downhill since following five scintillating years at Liverpool with a £142million move to Barcelona in 2018.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
26 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Rio Ngumoha shines to fuel Liverpool's optimism for new season
A vacancy has arisen on the left of Liverpool's forward line and an early, eye-catching application to fill the role has arrived from a 16-year-old. Rio Ngumoha further enhanced his first team claims with a sparkling display against Athletic Bilbao that underlined the formidable strength, and options, available to Arne Slot. Ngumoha opened the scoring superbly and teed up a second goal for Darwin Núñez inside five minutes at Anfield in the first of two pre-season friendlies against the Basque club. A packed Anfield crowd had to wait for the second fixture to catch a first glimpse of new signings Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Hugo Ekitiké and Jeremie Frimpong. Ngumoha kept them entertained and whetted the appetite prior to their appearances as Liverpool recorded a comfortable 4-1 win in match one. The left winger is not eligible to sign a professional contract until he turns 17 on the 29th of this month but showed why Chelsea were livid when Liverpool tempted him away from their academy last summer. In only the second minute of his second senior appearance at Anfield the teenager, who made his full debut against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup last season, set off from the halfway line and, with Athletic defenders all in retreat, curled an excellent finish into the bottom corner of the Kop goal from 20 yards. Ngumoha produced something similar in Liverpool's previous pre-season outing against Yokohama F Marinos last week. That goal came on the day Luis Díaz completed his £65.5m transfer to Bayern Munich, creating an opening on the left that could be filled by any one of Cody Gakpo, Wirtz, Ekitiké and perhaps the 16-year-old talent from London. His display was enough to prompt chants of 'Rio' from the Kop and a song in his honour from the singer who appeared during the interval. Ngumoha's emergence – predicted with confidence by John Terry when he lamented the youngster's exit from Chelsea – is timely for Liverpool as they await Newcastle's next move on Alexander Isak. There may not be a rush to replace Díaz given the options already at Slot's disposal. The Premier League champions can afford to wait on their prime target for the No 9 role and leave their £110m offer for Isak on Newcastle's table. Three minutes after his individual goal Ngumoha headed down a Ben Doak cross for Núñez to convert from close range. Anyone looking for clues as to Núñez's next step – with Al Hilal interested in taking him to the Saudi Pro League – will have noted the hand-on-the-heart celebration that followed from the £60m-rated Uruguay international in front of the Kop. A glimpse of Liverpool's past and future, perhaps. Doak and Harvey Elliott, two other players who could leave Anfield in this window, were also on the scoresheet in the first contest against Ernesto Valverde's side. Ngumoha's footwork and pace also impressed in the 67 minutes he was on the pitch. He received a well-earned rousing reception when replaced by Trent Koné-Doherty. The opening game started at 5pm as scheduled despite supporters in the Main Stand having to be evacuated just over an hour before kick off due to a false alarm. Liverpool's first appearance on home soil since the tragic deaths of Diogo Jota and his brother, André Silva, was marked by the club's former captain Phil Thompson and Athletic president, Jon Uriarte, laying wreaths in front of the Kop before the game. There was a moving moment 20 minutes in when everyone inside the stadium rose to their feet to applaud Liverpool's number 20. Play stopped and players from both teams also joined in the applause for Jota and Silva. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Slot was without Virgil van Dijk for both Bilbao games due to illness. The Liverpool head coach indicated the club captain could be a doubt for Sunday's Community Shield against Crystal Palace. Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez were also absent through injury, forcing Slot to deploy 18-year-old midfielder Trey Nyoni in central defence for the first Bilbao contest and Luca Stephenson at right-back, while goalkeeper Alisson was unavailable having left Liverpool's recent pre-season tour of Asia due to personal reasons. Summer signings Freddie Woodman and Armin Pecsi filled in for the first choice goalkeeper, playing one half each, while Georgia international Mamardashvili made his Anfield bow in the second game behind a central defence of Ibrahima Konaté and Wataru Endo. That is one department where the champions appear light at present. Ngumoha could add to their riches up front.
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Liverpool pay tribute to Diogo Jota in first match at Anfield since his death
Liverpool paid tribute to their late forward Diogo Jota on Monday in the club's first home match at Anfield since the footballer's tragic death. Jota, 28, and his brother Andre Silva, 25, were killed in a car crash in the province of Zamora in Spain last month. Liverpool hosted Athletic Bilbao in a pre-season friendly today – with tributes paid to the Portugal international before and during the match. Ahead of kick-off, Liverpool legend Phil Thompson and Athletic Bilbao president Jon Uriarte laid wreaths on the edge of the six-yard box. In The Mixer: Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every week – click here and sign up before Friday to make sure you don't miss the first edition. Players, coaches and supporters from both Liverpool and Athletic Bilbao then applauded as the match was stopped in the 20th minute. Jota wore the No.20 shirt at Liverpool – a number retired by the club in order to remember the forward – who played 182 games for the team. Billboards around the stadium read 'Rest in Peace Diogo Jota and Andre Silva – You'll Never Walk Alone' – while fans sang about the player and held up flags and banners. Jota, who joined Liverpool from Wolves in 2020, helped the club win the Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup before he passed away. 'I know that you will want to pay your tributes before, during and after the games, and I know that we will hear his song ringing out throughout the evening,' Liverpool head coach Arne Slot said in the match programme. 'It has been a tough time for everyone connected with the club, but especially for Diogo's family, his wife, his children and friends. 'We cannot imagine the pain that they have been going through, and the club will continue to give them all the support they can going forward. 'We will always carry him with us in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go. 'Diogo's passing has had a big impact on us all, but what has been so important has been the love and care shown from the football world, and in particular of course the Liverpool FC community.' Liverpool ended up winning the game 4-1 with Rio Ngumoha, Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott on the scoresheet, plus an own goal from Athletic Bilbao's Alex Padilla. The Reds are currently gearing up for the new 2025-26 season and face Crystal Palace in the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday. The Premier League champions then take on AFC Bournemouth in their top-flight opener on August 15. MORE: Chelsea urged to sign 'inspirational' £40m Man Utd transfer target this summer MORE: Newcastle to battle Liverpool for £50m transfer amid Alexander Isak saga MORE: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool or Man City? Tim Howard makes title race prediction
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Ben Doak stars for Liverpool in pre-season with youngster earning rave reviews before key Scotland fixtures
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BEN DOAK burst onto the Scottish national scene last year as Steve Clarke brought the youngster into the fold. But the Liverpool star who was on loan at Middlesbrough last campaign had his season cut short by injury. Sign up for the Celtic newsletter Sign up 3 Ben Doak is back firing for Liverpool this pre-season Credit: Getty 3 Which will be music to the ears of the Tartan Army Credit: Kenny Ramsay 3 He squeezed the ball into the net from this tight angle against Athletic Bilbao Credit: CBS SPORTS GOLAZO Rumours have been swirling this summer about a potential Liverpool exit for the ex-Celtic youngster, with Merseyside rivals Everton linked with the winger. But Doak has been involved heavily in Arne Slot's pre season even starting Monday night's clash with Athletic Bilbao. The winger impressed in his 56 minute showing against the Reds European opposition. He played a crucial part in helping Liverpool go into a two nil lead early on, putting a key cross in to the box which Darwin Nunez eventually finished off. The young Scotsman also thought he ended up on the score sheet as his strike ended up in the back of the net, but it went down as an own-goal. Despite not officially making it on the score-sheet, Liverpool fans raved about the youngster's performance on social media. Liverpool posted an image of the youngster on X, and fans made their feelings known in the replies. "I have a LOT of faith in Ben Doak" one fan replied. Another added: "Our future's extremely bright." "It was a cross good approach play by him, direct, making things happen," said another. COFFEE CLUB Has Ben Doak been mishandled by Scotland manager Steve Clarke? A fourth supporter called him a "special talent". A Celtic fan also replied, pleading to Doak's former club to snap the youngster up on a loan deal. He featured just twice for the Hoops before his move to Liverpool, one of those appearances coming in an Old Firm. But he has heavily impressed for Scotland, and has picked up six caps for his country. In a squad that lacks wide players, Ben Doak is exactly the type of player that Steve Clarke needs. And the Tartan Army will be relieved to see the electric winger back firing for the Reds. Scotland have key World Cup qualifiers coming up this year, starting with games against Denmark and Belarus in September. With his pre-injury form for Scotland, many fans will be calling for the youngster to be thrown straight back into Steve Clarke's starting 11. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
