Teammates rally behind Brazilian who abuses own fans

Veteran Internacional midfielder Andres D'Alessandro on Thursday urged the Brazilian top-flight club not to axe defender Fabricio for abusing his own fans.

Fabricio has been suspended by the club after he raised the middle finger of each hand towards fans during a Gaucho league match against Ypiranga on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old was immediately sent off by referee Luis Teixeira and was jeered by fans as he left the pitch.

"What he did wasn't right," D'Alessandro said during a press conference at the club's base in the southern city of Porto Alegre.

"There is no way to justify it. We all know that Fabricio has a strong personality. He is an experienced player and he realizes he made a mistake."

D'Alessandro, a former Argentina international, said the players would tell the club's hierarchy to allow Fabricio to remain at the club.

"We will do all that we can to make sure he stays," he said. "We like him a lot. He always gives his all. Only the players really know what he brings to the group.

"As a group, we want to be there for him first of all. We will ask the board to let him stay, but in the end it will be the club and the president who decide."

Earlier, Internacional president Vitorio Piffero told the Estado de S.Paulo newspaper the club was yet to decide Fabricio's fate.

"It's an unfortunate attitude. Fabricio was hot-headed," Piffero said. "We will not take action now, only after Easter. He is suspended until then."

A local sports tribunal on Thursday charged the left-back with two offenses carrying a combined maximum penalty of 12 matches. Endi