Protester Runs Onto World Cup 2022 Pitch During Match

A man staged a public protest against Qatar at the World Cup and invaded the pitch during the Portugal and Uruguay match on Monday, November 28.

The ticketholder was identified as serial pitch invader Marco Ferri. He briefly forced the match to be paused as security chased after him as he waved a rainbow flag above his head.

Ferri also wore a Superman T-shirt that read “Respect For Iranian Women”  on the back and “Save Ukraine” on the front.

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World Cup Pitch Invader

Portuguese professional footballer Ruben Neves urged Qatari authorities to show leniency toward the pitch invader. Reportedly, he said, “we are all with them and the message on his shirt”.

The FIFA global television feed avoided showing the pitch invader, but he could be seen running on the field while being pursued by security officials. The incident happened during the 51st minute into the game.

The issue of LGBTQ+ rights in Qatar has been a pressing issue since the World Cup kicked off. The Dutch Football Association had launched the ‘One Love’ campaign in 2020. Nine additional countries announced to adopt the campaign in preparation for upcoming events such as UEFA Nations League and the Qatar World Cup.

The team captains also agreed to don a rainbow armband which read ‘One Love’ in support of the campaign.

FIFA issued a warning that any team attempting to promote the ‘One Love’ message would receive a yellow card at the start of the game, which would mean there is a greater probability that players will be dismissed from the match.

Teams subsequently decided not to wear the ‘One Love’ armband and the teams explained their decision in a joint statement with several football associations.

According to the statement, the football association was “prepared to pay fines that would normally apply to breaches of kit regulations”. However, the associations decided not to put their players in a situation where they “might be booked or even forced to leave the field of play”.

The use of political statements on team kits is prohibited among other FIFA rules and regulations regarding the team’s attire. The equipment guidelines states that no item may be worn if FIFA considers it “dangerous, offensive or indecent, includes political, religious, or personal slogans, statements, or images, or otherwise”.