Drummer Chad Smith has become the target of online death threats after Latin fans took offence to footage of the Red Hot Chili Peppers star jokingly shoving a Brazilian soccer jersey down the back of his pants.

The rocker was hosting a drum clinic at the Hard Rock Cafe in Belo Horizonte, Brazil last weekend (03Nov13) when a member of the audience handed him a shirt from Rio de Janeiro's local team Flamengo.

Video footage of the incident shows Smith opening the package and holding up the red and black jersey, before turning around and stuffing it down his trousers, prompting a chorus of boos from the crowd. One angry audience member even hurled an object at the stage, narrowly missing the musician's head.

Smith then tried to calm his fans, stating, "I'm just kidding...! I think the only place it's Ok to hate something or someone is in sports."

He then added, "I love everybody, I love all of you!"

However, some soccer fans are refusing to let Smith get away with the prank and have used the comments section of YouTube.com, where fan videos of the event have been posted, to express their fury.

One Flamengo fan wrote, "(When you) arrive in Rio de Janeiro you will die motherf**ker", while another message read: "the fans of Flamengo want to kill you, (and) are already planning to invade (your) show to throw rocks at you."

Smith will be onstage with the Red Hot Chili Peppers for a gig in Rio on Saturday (09Nov13).