Protester with rainbow flag banned from World Cup matches

November 29, 2022
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The protester who ran onto the field during a World Cup match carrying a rainbow flag and wearing a blue Superman T-shirt with messages in support of Ukraine and Iranian women was banned Tuesday from attending any more matches during the Cin Qatar.

The World Cup organizing committee said in a statement that “the individual involved was released shortly after being removed from the pitch” and that his embassy had been informed.

“As a consequence of his actions, and as is standard practice, his (entry permit) has been canceled and he has been banned from attending future matches at this tournament,” the statement said.

The protester identified himself on social media as Mario Ferri, an Italian who has carried out similar stunts at soccer matches before.

Ferri ran onto the field in the second half of Monday’s match between Portugal and Uruguay carrying the rainbow flag. Security officials chased him down and Ferri dropped the flag on the field before he was escorted away.

“I’ll call it, ‘THE LAST DANCE,’ my last field invasion, I wanted to send IMPORTANT messages, which I’ve felt experienced first hand in recent months,” Ferri wrote in an Instagram post.

Ferri wrote that he has friends in Ukraine who are suffering and that he spent a month in the country as a volunteer after Russia invaded the nation in February.