Safet Susic and four of his coaches were targeted by three armed youths riding bicycles in the beachfront city of Guaruja, an hour outside Sao Paulo.
FIFA were placed on a major security alert last night after Bosnia coach Safet Susic and his backroom staff were attacked by muggers.
Former Yugoslavia striker Susic, 59, was out with four of his most trusted coaches in the beachfront city of Guaruja, an hour outside Sao Paulo.
The Bosnian coach, whose side open their Group F campaign against Argentina in the Maracana on Sunday, has made a habit of leaving the hotel every night.
But last night the group, which included former Bosnian international Elvir Rahimic, who is also the coach of CSKA Moscow, were followed when they slipped out of their base without informing security officers.
It is understood the group were trailed over several hundred yards before the gang struck and tried to extort them.
Three armed youths riding bicycles confronted the Bosnian contingent, demanding money and valuables, but were chased away when a police car came onto the scene by chance and set off its flashing lights.
None of the Bosnian officials were hurt and Susic laughed the incident off, claiming: "We grew up in Bosnia, where the streets were far more dangerous than that!"
But the incident just days before the start of the tournament, following on from the street clashes in Sao Paulo where police used tear-gas to break up a group of striking underground workers, was a further blow to bedraggled FIFA.
England have their own security detail plus local officers at their base on Sao Conrado beach in Rio de Janeiro, while they train at the heavily-secured Urca military compound.
The incident, though, highlights the dangers facing teams and fans in a country where crime has become increasingly endemic as protests over the cost of the World Cup have grown.
FIFA were placed on a major security alert last night after Bosnia coach Safet Susic and his backroom staff were attacked by muggers.
Former Yugoslavia striker Susic, 59, was out with four of his most trusted coaches in the beachfront city of Guaruja, an hour outside Sao Paulo.
The Bosnian coach, whose side open their Group F campaign against Argentina in the Maracana on Sunday, has made a habit of leaving the hotel every night.
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| World Cup security alert after Bosnia coach Safet Susic and backroom staff attacked by muggers |
It is understood the group were trailed over several hundred yards before the gang struck and tried to extort them.
Three armed youths riding bicycles confronted the Bosnian contingent, demanding money and valuables, but were chased away when a police car came onto the scene by chance and set off its flashing lights.
None of the Bosnian officials were hurt and Susic laughed the incident off, claiming: "We grew up in Bosnia, where the streets were far more dangerous than that!"
But the incident just days before the start of the tournament, following on from the street clashes in Sao Paulo where police used tear-gas to break up a group of striking underground workers, was a further blow to bedraggled FIFA.
England have their own security detail plus local officers at their base on Sao Conrado beach in Rio de Janeiro, while they train at the heavily-secured Urca military compound.
The incident, though, highlights the dangers facing teams and fans in a country where crime has become increasingly endemic as protests over the cost of the World Cup have grown.
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