The São Paulo Civil Police are analyzing images around the Neo Química Arena and inside the stadium itself, in Itaquera, to try to identify how a pig’s head was thrown onto the field during the match between Corinthians and Palmeiras on Monday (4) entered the stadium, bypassing the security search.
On social media, a fan identified as “Rafa Modilhane” claimed responsibility for the action.
According to the SSP (Secretary of Public Security), civil police officers from Drade (Police Station for the Suppression of Offenses of Sports Intolerance) who were involved in the match identified two fans who threw the plastic bag containing the animal’s head towards the pitch. They were arrested, charged with provoking a riot and taken to Jecrim (Special Criminal Court), where a TC (Detailed Term) was registered.
“The Civil Police analyzes images to clarify the dynamics of what happened and works to identify and arrest those involved,” said the SSP in a statement.
The fan who claims to be the perpetrator of the act published a video on social media on Monday afternoon in which he appears holding a pig’s head in a plastic bag.
He says he is at “Mercadão”, in a possible reference to the Mercado Municipal Paulistano, in the city center, and alludes to the game between Corinthians and Palmeiras, valid for the 32nd round of the Brazilian Championship.
Later, he published another video in which he appears to be heading towards the match in Itaquera. “Greetings from Corinthians. You know that pig’s head that I posted earlier? You’re going to see it now, what’s going to happen to it. Keep going. Go, Corinthians. ‘Nóis’ is really crazy. If it’s going to mess with the psychology of you, let’s move,” he said.
He also reposted a series of publications with photos of other fans’ pig heads, congratulating him on his action. The animal’s head, a symbol of Palmeiras, was thrown in the 28th minute of the first half, when midfielder Raphael Veiga was preparing to take a corner.
Striker Yuri Alberto gave a light kick to get his head off the pitch. After the match, he said he almost injured his foot when he kicked the pig’s head off the field. “I thought it was a pillow.”
Corinthians handed over the images they had of the arena’s internal circuit to contribute to the investigation. The club’s concern is to avoid a sporting punishment, such as that provided for in code 213 of the CBJD (Brazilian Code of Sports Justice), which talks about “preventing or repressing” throwing objects on the field. Failure to identify the offender is aggravating and may lead to the loss of field control in one or more matches.
The game ended with Corinthians winning 2-0, with goals from Rodrigo Garro and Yuri Alberto, ending a period of more than three years without the Black and Whites winning over their arch-rivals. The result gave Ramón Díaz’s men a boost in the fight against relegation.
The team spent a good part of the Brazilian Championship in the last placed group, but, with a sequence of three victories, managed to get out of the relegation zone and gain some distance from it. The difference for Athletico Paranaense is four points, although the current 17th placed team has a game in hand.
