The pitch invader who carried a rainbow flag in protest protest during Portugal’s World Cup match against Uruguay has been banned from attending any further games in Qatar.
Last night’s Group H match was interrupted when Mario Ferri stormed the pitch wearing a t-shirt which read ‘save Ukraine’ on the front and ‘Respect for Iranian Women’ on the back.
The tournament has been dogged with controversy over the host nation’s treatment of the LGBTQ+ community and the country’s archaic homosexuality laws.
Ferri was hastily escorted from the pitch following his demonstration and there were fears that the 35-year-old could face serious sanctions, but World Cup organsisers insist he was released shortly after the incident.
Sky News cite a statement which read: ‘He was released shortly after being removed from the pitch.
‘His embassy has been informed and his Hayya Card has been cancelled. He has been banned from attending future matches at this tournament.’
Meanwhile, the tournament’s chief has confirmed that between 400 and 500 migrants died as a result of development linked to the World Cup.
Hassan Al-Thawadi, secretary general of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, gave the figures during an interview on TalkTV’s Piers Morgan Uncensored.
The issue of safety and treatment of migrant workers has been one of the most contentious aspects of the decision to award the tournament to Qatar, and estimates of the casualties have varied wildly.
A report by the Guardian newspaper last year said 6,500 migrant workers had died in Qatar since the Gulf state was awarded the World Cup in 2010 – something that had been ‘categorically’ denied by authorities.
Speaking to TalkTV, Al-Thawadi said there had been three work-related deaths in construction directly for the tournament and 37 non work-related deaths, but that increased to 400-500 taking in all the infrastructure projects needed to support the hosting of the event.
Al-Thawadi said: ‘The estimate is around 400, between 400 and 500… I don’t have the exact number. That’s something that’s been discussed.’
He added: ‘One death is a death too many, plain and simple. I think every year the health and safety standards on the sites are improving, at least on the World Cup sites, the ones that we’re responsible for.
‘To the extent that you’ve got trade unions – representatives of the German trade union, the Swiss trade union have commended the work that’s been done on the World Cup sites and the improvement.
‘Improvements had to happen. This was something that was recognised before we bid. The improvements that have happened aren’t because of the World Cup, these are improvements that we knew we had to do because of our own values, whether it’s in terms of health and safety standards, accommodation standards, dismantling the kafala system (giving companies control over workers’ lives).
‘The World Cup served as a catalyst. Because of the spotlight, which we recognised early on was going to be shed, it caused a lot of these initiatives. We’ve got to a position today where our most ardent of critics consider us to be a benchmark in the region.’
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