As disturbing images of fans hitting each other made their way into the news across Brazil, FIFA moved quickly yesterday to downplay the risk of violence inside stadiums during the World Cup next year.

FIFA condemned the incidents in the southern city of Joinville, where fan fighting halted a decisive Brazilian league match for more than an hour on Sunday and led to the hospitalization of four people, including one airlifted from the field.

"This is very sad for Brazilian football," FIFA said in a statement. "FIFA and the local organizing committee condemn any form of violence and such incidents should not happen in any football stadium."

The violence came only two days after FIFA held the draw for the World Cup with an extravagant ceremony in a luxurious resort in northeastern Brazil.

Hundreds of Atletico Paranaense and Vasco da Gama fans charged at each other in Joinville, throwing kicks, punches and using sticks and metal bars in the fighting, forcing the referee to stop the match about 17 minutes into the first half.

Security in Joinville was done by private guards instead of police, similar to what is planned for the World Cup. Sunday’s fighting only stopped after police arrived firing rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.

FIFA said it could not comment on what happened in Joinville because it was not involved in the match, but noted that it is confident with security plans for the World Cup.

"For the 2014 FIFA World Cup a very comprehensive security concept is in place in an integrated operation between private and public security authorities to ensure the safety for fans, players and any other stakeholder involved in the event," the governing body said

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said yesterday the sports ministry was looking at the case and called to an end to lack of punishment in cases of fan violence in Brazil. "The country of football cannot live with violence in stadiums anymore," she said on Twitter. "We need police in the stadiums."