Flamengo fans angered by rock star's rude gesture
Reuters
November 11, 2013, 2:00 am
Member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers Flea (L) and drummer Chad Smith (C) perform with Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols at the Musicares MAP Fund benefit concert in Los Angeles May 8, 2009. REUTERS/Fred Prouser
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Chad Smith, the drummer for U.S. rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, has apologised to Flamengo fans after he caused outrage in Brazil by wiping his backside with the club's shirt.
Smith made the gesture - which was filmed and went viral on the internet - at a drum clinic in Belo Horizonte last week.
The band played there as part of a South American tour, before moving on to Rio, home to Flamengo, where they played on Saturday evening.
Fans of Flamengo, who claim to be the best-supported club in Brazil with more than 30 million fans, were outraged by the incident and forced Smith to quickly backtrack.
"I want to apologise for my inappropriate antics at the drum clinic, my joke about team rivalries went too far," Smith said on twitter. "Flamenco (sic) fans...I'm sorry."
Smith then donned a Flamengo shirt and posted a picture of himself signing autographs for Flamengo fans. He also met with players from the club and presented them with Red Hot Chili Peppers T-shirts.
(Reporting by Andrew Downie, editing by Ed Osmond)