No emotional control: Felipe Melo is still Brazilian football's villain

When Felipe Melo arrived at Palmeiras in January, he was quick to defend his hard-man image, saying: "Four red cards in four, five years is very few. The press lie that I'm malicious. If I have to slap a player I slap. If I have to beat, I beat. I fight for the club that puts food in my house."

It was foreshadowing at its finest.

After Palmeiras' game at Penarol in the Copa Libertadores, Melo's tough-guy reputation is more justified than ever. The Brazilian rebel was at the heart of a night of violence at Estadio Campeon del Siglo in which he was seen throwing punches at Matias Mier less than one minute after the final whistle.

The punches didn't go unnoticed by Penarol's players. Yeferson Quintana and Junior Arias were quick to react, the latter grabbing a corner flag in threatening fashion as they chased Melo. In the blink of an eye, all hell broke loose. As the police tried to maintain order, fights broke out on the pitch, outside the dressing rooms, and in the stands, where supporters used whatever they could find as a weapon. It was absolute pandemonium.

Penarol's president, Juan Pedro Damian, pointed the finger at one person and only person only, saying: "Felipe Melo generated all the violence that occurred. When he hit Mier with his fist."

Others disagree. Palmeiras 'keeper, Fernando Prass, told Lance, as translated by ESPN FC's Adriana Garcia: "It was all orchestrated. I went to protect Melo because he was their target. There was even a journalist with a tripod that was attacking people. We wanted to get out of there but the gates were shut and the security would not allow us to go through (to the changing room)."

Regardless of where the truth lies, it doesn't look good for Melo, who is one of four players subject to disciplinary proceedings from CONMEBOL. Even if he was provoked, South American football's governing body is unlikely to dismiss the punches he threw.

Of course, as surreal as the scenes were at Penarol, nobody was surprised by Melo's punches. This is a footballer who, whether rightly or wrongly, is vilified at every turn.

Melo was vilified when he elbowed Mario Balotelli and the Italian striker fell to the ground as if he'd been shot. Melo was vilified when he referred to Renato Mauricio Prado, a Brazilian journalist, as an "asshole" and a "coward" following criticism in a column. Melo was vilified when he kicked Lucas Biglia in the neck and was shown a red card.

Most notably, Melo was the scapegoat when Brazil was eliminated at the 2010 World Cup, as he was sent off in the second half of the Selecao's defeat to the Netherlands in the quarter-finals. He was treated like a criminal upon returning to his homeland and even had to be smuggled out of the airport. "There's no way I'm the villain the 2010 World Cup," Melo said. "It was a collective mistake. When I was sent off, it was already 2-1. I accept my share of the blame." His words fell upon deaf ears.

The violence that overshadowed Palmeiras' 3-2 victory at Penarol was likely a collective mistake. How can so much chaos be attributed to only one person? Other players, coaches, and supporters are surely to blame as well. Security for the game surely wasn't carried out properly. Whose fault is that?

Brazilian football loves to pin the blame on somebody. As long as Palmeiras is putting food in his house, Melo will be that somebody.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)