Unusual and amusing idea for tackling aggression among male fans comes from Brazilian Recife. On Sunday local derby was secured by 30 mothers of active fans.

It’s not a joke even if sounds funny. During Sunday’s Recife derby between Sport and Nautico fans were overseen by their own mothers. 30 women in vests saying “Segurança Mãe” (Security Mum) were deployed in strategic points of Arena Pernambuco.

Candidates were selected among women who have sons who support Sport. The club hasn’t informed the fans of their mothers’ involvement, which reportedly led to some surprises within the fanbase.

The initiative was jointly launched by Sport and creative agency Ogilvy Brazil. The aim was to convince supporters about the need to tackle match violence. Though it wasn’t entirely serious, the mothers were in fact properly trained and were acting as real security force.

Most likely it will remain a one-off project despite huge publicity. Within one day it reached not only domestic headlines, but also went viral in Spanish and English media. “Mães Seguranças” may not change attitudes permanently, but as Aricio Fortes of Ogilvy reminded Sport fans, no-one wants to brawl when mum is watching…