An inflatable version of the 2014 World Cup mascot, which was unveiled in the centre of São Paulo, was punctured during a minor demonstration on Saturday afternoon.
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The Tatu-bola, a type of armadillo, is yet to be officially named, but was caught up in protests against property speculators in the city.
The attack took place at around 17.00 on Saturday, as a group of a couple of hundred people descended on the site for the “The City is Ours” demonstration which had been organised on Facebook.
The demonstration marched from a favela recently gutted by fire to the centre of the city to “promote discussion on rights, property speculation and power of the people”, as well as, ironically, cultural attractions.
The attack is actually the third on World Cup mascots unveiled in host cities in the space of just eight days. On 5 October, a mascot in Porto Alegre was punctured and, three days later, the same occurred in Brasilia.
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