This Italian Fan Invaded The Pitch At The World Cup In Support Of LGBTQ People, Iranian Women And Ukraine
A pitch invader ran onto the field waving a Pride flag while sporting a custom Superman T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan “Save Ukraine” on the front and “Respect Iranian Women” on the back during the Portugal vs Uruguay match on Nov. 29.
An Italian soccer fan ran onto the field waving a rainbow pride flag while sporting a custom Superman T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan “Save Ukraine” on the front and “Respect Iranian Women” on the back during the Portugal vs Uruguay match on Monday Nov. 29.
The man, later identified as 35 year-old Italian soccer player and humanitarian worker Mario Ferri, was seen jumping the barriers and storming the pitch during the start of the second half of the game before he was escorted off by security officials.
He was released without further consequence, according to the Italian foreign ministry.
“We want a free world that respects all races and all ideas,” Ferri posted to his Instagram account the day after. “FIFA banned rainbow captain’s armbands and human rights flags in the stands, they blocked everyone, but not me.”
Currently contracted to a team in the Indian second division, Ferri has been living in Poland and helping Ukrainian refugees find asylum since the Russian invasion on Feb. 24.
This is not Ferri’s first rodeo.
Known as “The Falcon”, he has a history of invading pitches to raise awareness for various humanitarian causes while wearing his bespoke Superman tee.
He previously ran onto the field during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil with the phrase “Save Favelas Children” printed across his chest.
The World Cup has been marred by controversy since Qatar was announced as the host nation in 2010.
There have been many acts of protests, including against the restriction of women’s rights in Iran, the rights of migrant workers, as well as the treatment of the LGBTQ community since the start of the games.
