A pig’s head was thrown onto the field during a match between Sao Paulo rivals Corinthians and Palmeiras in the Brazilian championship.
The incident occurred as Palmeiras were preparing to take a corner in the first half and Corinthians striker Yuri Alberto ran from the area to kick the ball out of bounds before play continued.
Alberto scored and Corinthians won the match 2-0.
“I almost broke my foot, I thought it was a cushion, I went to take it off with my foot, I gave it a kind of kick. It was a pig’s head, I almost hurt my foot,” Alberto told O Globo’s SporTV., external
“I have something new: the big traditional Sao Paulo derby, Corinthians-Palmeiras and someone threw a pig’s head onto the field (Palmeiras’ symbol is a pig),” South American football correspondent Tim Vickery wrote in X.
The situation was reminiscent of when Barcelona fans threw a pig’s head onto the pitch when their former midfielder Luis Figo returned to the Camp Nou playing for arch-rivals Real Madrid in 2002.
Globo and ESPN Brazil, external He reported that police are investigating and two fans were arrested following the incident, before being released.
Palmeiras fans adopted the pig as their mascot in 1986.
In a match against Santos they heard rival fans chanting “pig” and responded by shouting “And go ahead, pig! Ole Ole Ole.”
A few days later, the sports magazine Placar published a photo of Palmeiras player Jorginho Putinatti holding a pig in his arms.
