(Reuters) - A pig's head was thrown onto the pitch during Corinthians' 2-0 win over arch-rivals Palmeiras in the Brazilian championship, with a player nearly injuring himself when kicking it away.
The incident echoed a 2002 episode in Spain when Barcelona fans threw a pig's head onto the pitch in disgust at former favourite Luis Figo's return with rivals Real Madrid.
Brazil's Palmeiras adopted the pig as their mascot years ago, after rival fans taunted them with the term.
Monday's incident occurred in the first half of Brazil's most intense derby, when Palmeiras midfielder Raphael Veiga prepared to take a corner and the pig's head landed nearby.
Corinthians forward Yuri Alberto had a shock when he ran to kick it away. "I almost broke my foot, I thought it was a cushion," he told Globo Esporte TV.
(Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
