Brazilian derby off after team bus attack

A hig-profile derby in southern Brazil has been postponed just hours before the kick-off after fans injured several players by throwing rocks and other unidentified objects at a team bus.

The soccer body in Rio Grande do Sul state said in a statement it had made the decision to postpone the Internacional's home game against Gremio after players from the visitors were hurt near the Beira Rio stadium.

Gremio chairman Romildo Bolzan told media he refused to allow his team to play because several players still had shattered glass from the bus windows on their bodies in the lead-up to the game.

He did not give a number of footballers who had been injured.

Bolzan added Paraguayan midfielder Mathias Villasanti, who was going to start for Gremio, had suffered a head trauma and was taken to a hospital, but has since recovered.

"After the cowardly and absurd aggression suffered by our delegation we have told the Gaucha Football Federation of our decision not to go ahead with the Grenal derby this Saturday," Gremio said in a statement.

Internacional said it repudiated the violence and added that two suspects had been arrested.

This is the second violent incident involving Brazilian fans and local clubs within days.

On Thursday, three Bahia players were injured by a homemade explosive that detonated inside the team's bus on their way to a match.

Goalkeeper Danilo Fernandes was taken to a hospital due to shattered glass in his face.

Hours after the incident, the team played Sampaio Correia in a match for the Copa do Nordeste, a regional championship in Brazil's north-east.

Bahia won 2-0, a result that players barely celebrated after the match.

Bahia state police said in a statement they are investigating the incident, which took