A FOOTBALLER in Brazil had to be rushed to hospital after being hit in the head by a ROCK after hooligans attacked his team bus.
Fans of Internacional targeted fierce rivals Gremio’s bus in a horrifying attack on Saturday while it was en route to the stadium for a match between the two sides.
Repudiamos com veemência os atos criminosos sofridos na chegada da delegação ao estádio Beira-Rio. Casos como esse, que infelizmente têm se tornado corriqueiros no esporte, não representam aquilo que o futebol realmente significa. Vídeo completo em: https://t.co/zJZicsdJj4 pic.twitter.com/0sgKKCFn1s
— Grêmio FBPA (@Gremio) February 27, 2022
They used missiles to smash the windows of the vehicle, with Gremio player Mathias Villasanti needing hospital treatment after being struck in the head.
Officials were seen holding an enormous rock upon arrival at the Beiro-Rio stadium in the Porto Alegre region of Brazil.
Gremio’s official Twitter account also confirmed a number of other players in the squad had been injured in the terrifying ordeal.
They wrote: “Right now, all attention is focused on the situation of the athlete [Mathias] Villasanti, who was hit in the face by a stone, like other members of the delegation who are injured.”
Paraguayan midfielder Villasanti, 25, was pictured with a heavily bandaged head after being taken to a local hospital.
He was diagnosed with concussion and trauma to the head, but escaped any fracture to his skull.
Villasanti was also treated for cuts to the face and hip and had to spend the night in hospital.
Gremio revealed: “He underwent tests and was found to have a head trauma and a brain concussion, but no head fracture. He has bruises on his face and trauma to his hip.”
The Serie A1 clash between Internactional and Gremio was postponed as a result of the attack.
Internacional wrote on Twitter that CCTV footage had led to two individuals being identified and arrested in relation to the attack.
The club also condemned their own fans in a statement on social media.
It read: “Internacional strongly repudiates all types of violence and reinforces the importance of #PeaceInFootball.”
Gremio also voiced their horror after being victims of the ‘criminal’ attack.
A club statement read: “We strongly repudiate the criminal acts suffered when the delegation arrived at the Beira-Rio stadium.
“Cases like this, which unfortunately have become commonplace in sport, do not represent what football really means.”