RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct 23 (Reuters) - A Brazilian ball boy has been suspended for 60 days for taking too much time retrieving the ball when the home team was winning, a disciplinary tribunal official said on Tuesday.
The ball boy, 15-year-old Lucas Santana, was banned after the incident was reported by the referee of the Santos versus Sao Paulo match in the Brazilian championship at the start of October. Santos, who, as the home team, supplied the ball boys, won 1-0.
Ball boys are often a source of controversy in Brazilian football, the main complaint being that they suddenly become lethargic if the home team is winning.
Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was frequently accused of ordering them to throw spare balls onto the field to disrupt visiting teams' attacks when he was in charge of Palmeiras.
In the past, some clubs have also been accused of disguising security men as ball boys and using them to provoke and start fights with visiting players.
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