Man who invaded pitch with rainbow flag banned from World Cup matches

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

Mario Ferri, who ran across the pitch with a rainbow flag during the Portugal v Uruguay match has been banned from attending all of the remaining World Cup games (Abbie Parr/AP)

The protester who ran on to the pitch 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, has been banned from attending any more matches during the football tournament in Qatar.

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