ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Protester with rainbow flag banned from World Cup matches

Fan runs on pitch during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group H match between Portugal v Uruguay at Al Janoub Stadium on Nov. 28, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Richard Sellers/Getty Images) Fan runs on pitch during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group H match between Portugal v Uruguay at Al Janoub Stadium on Nov. 28, 2022 in Lusail City, Qatar. (Photo by Richard Sellers/Getty Images)
Share
DOHA, QATAR -

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 tournament in 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.

In the days ahead of the opening games, the captains of seven European teams were prohibited from wearing multi-colored "One Love" armbands during World Cup matches in support of of LGBTQ2S+ rights. Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar.

Some fans also complained they weren't allowed to bring items with rainbow colors into stadiums.

Ferri said that prompted him to protest.

"FIFA banned the captains' rainbow armbands and the flags for human rights in the stands, they banned everyone, BUT NOT ME," Ferri wrote, adding "like a Robinhood 2.0, I brought the message to the PEOPLE. We want a free world that respects all races and ideas."

Ferri said that police held him for about an hour after the incident and treated him well. He said FIFA President Gianni Infantino helped he secure his release without any penalties, except a ban from watching any more World Cup matches.

"But even for that there's a solution. I've prepared some magic for tonight," Ferri said in an Instagram recording, without giving details.

Ferri has interrupted several matches before. He said Infantino recognized him from running onto the field at World Cup matches in South Africa in 2010 and Brazil in 2014.

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

BREAKING

BREAKING

Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

Local Spotlight

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.

Stay Connected