A pig’s head was thrown onto the pitch in one in every of soccer’s greatest derbies – greater than twenty years after one was famously launched at Luis Figo throughout a recreation.
Police have been mentioned to be investigating the grisly incident that occurred as Corinthians have been beating arch-rivals Palmeiras 2-0 in Brazil’s Serie A on Monday evening.
The pig’s head was thrown at Palmeiras’ Raphael Veiga whereas he was taking a nook earlier than Corinthians’ Yuri Alberto stepped in by kicking it off the pitch.
Credit score: geglobo/X
“I nearly broke my foot,” Alberto advised Globo Esporte afterwards. “I assumed it was one thing else, a cushion, but it surely was a pig’s head, I nearly damage myself.”
Two individuals have been reportedly arrested over the incident earlier than being launched with out cost as a result of a scarcity of proof amid an ongoing investigation into how the offending merchandise was smuggled into Corinthians’ Neo Quimica Area.
The episode occurred 22 years after the same one throughout a recreation between Barcelona and Actual Madrid following Figo’s defection from the previous to the latter – arguably probably the most controversial switch in soccer historical past.
Monday evening’s copycat incident gave the impression to be linked to “pig” having been for many years used as an insult used towards Palmeiras by their rivals.
A lot in order that, in 2016, the latter membership determined to embrace the moniker by formally adopting Gobbato the pig as their second mascot, alongside Periquito the parakeet.
Palmeiras followers had beforehand additionally made gentle of the insult, most famously at a recreation towards Santos in 1986 at which they responded to chants of “pig” by shouting: “Come On Pig!! Come On Pig!! Olé Olé Olé…”, and, “Go Piiiig….”
The nickname was additional popularised shortly afterwards when a Brazilian sports activities journal printed a difficulty with an image of Palmeiras midfielder Jorginho Putinatti holding a pig on the entrance cowl.