A school headmaster who killed a young woman by hurling a glass bottle at her during a football clash has been jailed for 14 years.

The incident happened outside the Allianz Parque stadium in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, on 8th July 2023.

Jonathan Messias Santos da Silva, 33, was convicted of killing 23-year-old Gabriela Anelli, a devoted Palmeiras fan.

The Flamengo supporter had travelled from Rio de Janeiro with friends to watch the high-stakes match between the rival teams.

As tensions erupted between the two fanbases, Santos da Silva threw a glass bottle which shattered against a metal barrier.

Shards of glass struck Gabriela in the neck, severing her jugular vein and leaving her bleeding heavily on the pavement.

She was given emergency first aid by paramedics at the scene and rushed to hospital, but died two days later on 10th July.

Footage showed her slumped on the ground moments after the attack, as police intervened using tear gas and water cannons to break up the chaos.

Gabriela's heartbroken father Ettore Amarchiano Neto said she lived for Palmeiras and followed the club every weekend.

He said: "That was practically her source of enjoyment. The trips she would take on weekends. It was the way she found herself."

He added: "There are girls her age who enjoy going to parties or listen to music, but she loved Palmeiras. That was her life."

Her mother Dilcilene Prado Anelle dos Santos said: "It wasn't the health issue she had that killed her; it was a bottle that cut her jugular."

She revealed the family had also travelled to the match and were waiting for Gabriela outside the stadium.

Gabriela never made it out.

Her brother Felipe said she had two cardiac arrests and developed respiratory complications during emergency surgery.

He said: "She was injured in the neck area, where an artery was hit. She underwent surgery and had two cardiac arrests and a pulmonary problem."

He added: "I only hope that justice is served. A person with brains would not do something like this."

Santos da Silva, who has a two-year-old child and no previous convictions, was arrested on 25th July 2023 at his home in Rio.

He did not hand himself in and was asleep when police found him.

Investigators used facial recognition to identify him in footage outside the stadium.

Authorities confirmed he works as a headteacher at a state school in Rio de Janeiro and has since been suspended from his role.

He denies being part of any organised fan group and the Fla-Manguaca supporters' association say he is not a member.

Another man, Leonardo Felipe Xavier Santiago, 26, was initially arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder.

He denied throwing the bottle and claimed he only had small ice cubes in his hand which did not even reach the barrier.

Police said they were working through mobile footage and using facial recognition to identify all those involved.

Santos da Silva was charged and found guilty of homicide during a court hearing on Tuesday, 20th May, at the Barra Funda Criminal Court.

He was ordered to serve his sentence in a high-security prison.

His defence team has not confirmed if they plan to appeal.

(MJ Leidig/newsX)