Adrian Durham Mugged In Brazil

[mrbojangles]

Durham mugged at knifepoint in Brazil: Attack on Sportsmail columnist after England game raises fresh fears over safety ahead of World Cup

Sportsmail columnist Adrian Durham was mugged at knifepoint in Rio de Janeiro after England's friendly against Brazil, raising further concerns over the safety of the host city ahead of next year's World Cup.

Durham, who also hosts a popular radio show on talkSPORT, was returning to his hotel with his girlfriend at 7.30pm local time after watching England's 2-2 draw at the newly refurbished Maracana stadium.

He returned to the Copacabana - a popular tourist spot where Roy Hodgson's squad were also staying - on an official England supporters' bus and had only a 10-minute walk to the hotel.

A man approached the pair and grabbed Durham's shoulder. He removed the mugger's hand but was shocked when he brought out a blade and asked for money.

Durham said: 'He raised his voice to get my attention and showed me the blade in his hand. He was looking very aggressive, grabbed hold of my shirt and walked very close alongside me. He then demanded money and put the blade to my arm. I could feel the point of the blade.

'I then looked at my girlfriend - who wasn't aware he had a knife - and told her we needed to cross the road, the Avenue Atlantica. So we headed towards the road, which was busy with traffic, at which point the guy pushed me into the road and fled, empty-handed.'

The Brazilian government have invested heavily in cleaning up a crime hot-spot in Brazil but this latest high-profile incident will increase concerns over the safety of travelling supporters at the 2014 World Cup.

When Durham finally returned to his hotel, understandably shaken by the incident, he was told by the staff at reception not to bother reporting the incident to police 'as it happens all the time' and the best way to avoid it is not to wear any expensive jewellery.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2335142/Adrian-Durham-mugged-Brazil.html#ixzz2VJsHAch1

[carmine]

If it had to be a journo then i'm delighted it was him. He's an absolute tool.

FIFA can expect a lot more of this come the world cup.

[wilai]

If it had to be a journo then i'm delighted it was him. He's an absolute tool.

FIFA can expect a lot more of this come the world cup.

Only surprise with this report is that Durham has a girlfriend...or maybe he was with a Brazilian tranny? Might explain why he didn't want any further action.

[carmine]

If it had to be a journo then i'm delighted it was him. He's an absolute tool.

FIFA can expect a lot more of this come the world cup.

Only surprise with this report is that Durham has a girlfriend...or maybe he was with a Brazilian tranny? Might explain why he didn't want any further action.

Yeh i wasn't having that about the girlfriend bit either. Durhams a top floor Nana plaza dude all day long.

What i don't understand is who the hell would be interested in his opinion about a football match either?

[jellydog]

Great city Rio, in a lot of ways. Also a horrible cesspool. Agreed with Carmine about trouble down the road. The authorities in Rio will have to do one hell of a cleansing before the WC.

[mrbojangles]

Durham' s good looks and personality aside, this is not good news for the World Cup and Brazil's efforts in getting to grips with crime.

[smokie36]

Rio Ferdinand will be next.

No need for a coat on a nice summer day......

[Chicog]

Not to worry folks, the Brazilian forces will be out on the streets and any muggers will be summarily executed to set an example to the rest.

[rijit]

Great city Rio, in a lot of ways. Also a horrible cesspool. Agreed with Carmine about trouble down the road. The authorities in Rio will have to do one hell of a cleansing before the WC.

Nah disagree, they'll be plenty of money floating around the streets to be earnt legally come the world cup, so street crime should all but disappear , a 'beach sweep' would be amusing though

[rijit]

Durham' s good looks and personality aside, this is not good news for the World Cup and Brazil's efforts in getting to grips with crime.

brazils efforts to get to grips with crime LOL keep in perspective there mr bo its just ONE attempted mugging on a fat stupid ignorant tourist happens all the time no biggy!!!

[carmine]

Durham' s good looks and personality aside, this is not good news for the World Cup and Brazil's efforts in getting to grips with crime.

brazils efforts to get to grips with crime LOL keep in perspective there mr bo its just ONE attempted mugging on a fat stupid ignorant tourist happens all the time no biggy!!!

Don't forget the daily armed car jackings and ATM muggings all of which are so common that i doubt they even bother with stats nowadays. The poverty levels in and around the favelas are horrendous and with tourists walking around with huge sums of money on them as compared to the cost of living) i hardly think the police can be blamed. Its just the way it is. The police have quite enough on their plate as it is dealing with the drug lords in the hills surrounding Rio.

And then theres Sao Paolo, a sprawling city of 20m people with far less of an identified tourist hub so everyone travelling overthere will be much more spread out.

At the end of the day the Brazillian authorities will do the best they can but it will be impossible to totally safeguard fans in the time around match fixtures.

The South Africans ofcourse have been used to dealing with extreme violence for years but were far more advanced in their clean up of the streets. they had already turned areas of Jo'Burg into relatively safe areas where ten tears before the world cup you had to drive through and ignore red lights. So i hope Sepp and his cronies don't try to draw a comparison because it would not be a justified one.

[jellydog]

Durham' s good looks and personality aside, this is not good news for the World Cup and Brazil's efforts in getting to grips with crime.

brazils efforts to get to grips with crime LOL keep in perspective there mr bo its just ONE attempted mugging on a fat stupid ignorant tourist happens all the time no biggy!!!

Don't forget the daily armed car jackings and ATM muggings all of which are so common that i doubt they even bother with stats nowadays. The poverty levels in and around the favelas are horrendous and with tourists walking around with huge sums of money on them as compared to the cost of living) i hardly think the police can be blamed. Its just the way it is. The police have quite enough on their plate as it is dealing with the drug lords in the hills surrounding Rio.

And then theres Sao Paolo, a sprawling city of 20m people with far less of an identified tourist hub so everyone travelling overthere will be much more spread out.

At the end of the day the Brazillian authorities will do the best they can but it will be impossible to totally safeguard fans in the time around match fixtures.

The South Africans ofcourse have been used to dealing with extreme violence for years but were far more advanced in their clean up of the streets. they had already turned areas of Jo'Burg into relatively safe areas where ten tears before the world cup you had to drive through and ignore red lights. So i hope Sepp and his cronies don't try to draw a comparison because it would not be a justified one.

I don't disagree with any of that Carmine, but it pays to remember that the police in Rio are nearly as ravenous for your money as the street and beach thieves. There's a lot of shake downs by the police in Rio. Typical third world country issue.

[carmine]

Durham' s good looks and personality aside, this is not good news for the World Cup and Brazil's efforts in getting to grips with crime.

brazils efforts to get to grips with crime LOL keep in perspective there mr bo its just ONE attempted mugging on a fat stupid ignorant tourist happens all the time no biggy!!!

Don't forget the daily armed car jackings and ATM muggings all of which are so common that i doubt they even bother with stats nowadays. The poverty levels in and around the favelas are horrendous and with tourists walking around with huge sums of money on them as compared to the cost of living) i hardly think the police can be blamed. Its just the way it is. The police have quite enough on their plate as it is dealing with the drug lords in the hills surrounding Rio.

And then theres Sao Paolo, a sprawling city of 20m people with far less of an identified tourist hub so everyone travelling overthere will be much more spread out.

At the end of the day the Brazillian authorities will do the best they can but it will be impossible to totally safeguard fans in the time around match fixtures.

The South Africans ofcourse have been used to dealing with extreme violence for years but were far more advanced in their clean up of the streets. they had already turned areas of Jo'Burg into relatively safe areas where ten tears before the world cup you had to drive through and ignore red lights. So i hope Sepp and his cronies don't try to draw a comparison because it would not be a justified one.

I don't disagree with any of that Carmine, but it pays to remember that the police in Rio are nearly as ravenous for your money as the street and beach thieves. There's a lot of shake downs by the police in Rio. Typical third world country issue.

Ofcourse living here i'd know nothing of such practices

That aside i feel it would be wrong to forget the initial euphoria of the thread in Adrian Durham getting mugged!

[mrbojangles]

Durham' s good looks and personality aside, this is not good news for the World Cup and Brazil's efforts in getting to grips with crime.

brazils efforts to get to grips with crime LOL keep in perspective there mr bo its just ONE attempted mugging on a fat stupid ignorant tourist happens all the time no biggy!!!

I know this goes on all the time in Rio, that in itself isn't news. However, it is a biggy as they knew this match would be under close scrutiny and any incidents would be published. The World Cup is a tourist attraction and if you want it to be a success you have to let the tourists feel they are safe.

[rijit]

Durham' s good looks and personality aside, this is not good news for the World Cup and Brazil's efforts in getting to grips with crime.

brazils efforts to get to grips with crime LOL keep in perspective there mr bo its just ONE attempted mugging on a fat stupid ignorant tourist happens all the time no biggy!!!

I know this goes on all the time in Rio, that in itself isn't news. However, it is a biggy as they knew this match would be under close scrutiny and any incidents would be published. The World Cup is a tourist attraction and if you want it to be a success you have to let the tourists feel they are safe.

it goas on in all tourist cities throughout s/america, with rio the street crime mostly IS drug related and spills from the favelas aka bus 174, crime, as per norm, escalates' with povery, but none quite so distinct as in rio, street crime tends to get bad pre tourist season and post ie when there's no money or little money around ,, but c ure point about making tourist feel safe, but here was an interesting piece from daniel taylor who was in lapa left a restaurant a little pissed and felt a hand on hios shoulder an thought F--- it, but was somebody returning him a wad of notes he dropped !!!!! no threads on that though.

[jellydog]

Durham' s good looks and personality aside, this is not good news for the World Cup and Brazil's efforts in getting to grips with crime.

brazils efforts to get to grips with crime LOL keep in perspective there mr bo its just ONE attempted mugging on a fat stupid ignorant tourist happens all the time no biggy!!!

I know this goes on all the time in Rio, that in itself isn't news. However, it is a biggy as they knew this match would be under close scrutiny and any incidents would be published. The World Cup is a tourist attraction and if you want it to be a success you have to let the tourists feel they are safe.

it goas on in all tourist cities throughout s/america, with rio the street crime mostly IS drug related and spills from the favelas aka bus 174, crime, as per norm, escalates' with povery, but none quite so distinct as in rio, street crime tends to get bad pre tourist season and post ie when there's no money or little money around ,, but c ure point about making tourist feel safe, but here was an interesting piece from daniel taylor who was in lapa left a restaurant a little pissed and felt a hand on hios shoulder an thought F--- it, but was somebody returning him a wad of notes he dropped !!!!! no threads on that though.

Well, if I run into anyone who gets mugged in Rio, or otherwise whupped up on, I'll tell them that most of the street crime IS drug related and they were just unfortunate, as some others from time to time have money that they have inadvertently dropped returned to them. I'm sure they will reward me with a smile and a hearty back slap.

Does that about cover it ?

[rijit]

All i'm saying jellydog is it aint quite as bad as people/media make it out to be.

[jellydog]

All i'm saying jellydog is it aint quite as bad as people/media make it out to be.

OK mate. Great place Rio, but it pays to have eyes in the back of your head. And yes, that holds true for a bunch of cities these days.

[rijit]

All i'm saying jellydog is it aint quite as bad as people/media make it out to be.

OK mate. Great place Rio, but it pays to have eyes in the back of your head. And yes, that holds true for a bunch of cities these days.

that's true mate for rio the 'rules' are absolutely .no bling, dont 'look weathy, ie obvious designer expensive cloth's and at all costs AVOID DARK places, ie with little or no street lighting and as a rule of thumb you will be ok.

[mrbojangles]

steve Redgrave and his Mrs were mugged in Rio in March

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2294543/Fears-Rio-Olympics-Sir-Steve-Redgrave-wife-held-robber-beach.html

[wellred]

Couldn't have happened to a bigger tool. That said I've heard this sort of thing isn't uncommon there. Wonder if they can contain this for the World Cup. Not sure how South Africa compares to this but they did a good job on security there overall.

[rijit]

Couldn't have happened to a bigger tool. That said I've heard this sort of thing isn't uncommon there. Wonder if they can contain this for the World Cup. Not sure how South Africa compares to this but they did a good job on security there overall.

mate really it aint that bad, if your sensible, follow a few easy rules. the place is relatively cool,not saying shit dont happen, it does, but it happens EVERYWHERE eg In london the kid that serves at my local cofe shop was stabbed 4 his mobile at 7 in the evening. well perhaps not quite everywhere asia is pretty safe.