Fifa World Cup final stewards during Pussy Riot’s France v Croatia pitch invasion protest to be punished by Russia
Head of Russia’s World Cup organising committee says protesters ‘behaved without respect’ but should have been stopped by stewards
The stewards who failed to stop a pitch invasion by members of the Pussy Riot protest group at the World Cup final between France and Croatia will face disciplinary action, tournament organisers said on Friday.
Four protesters wearing fake police uniforms ran onto the pitch at Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium last Sunday, causing play to stop briefly at the match, which was attended by President Vladimir Putin and other senior officials.
Alexei Sorokin, the head of Russia’s World Cup organising committee, said they had “behaved without respect for the work of thousands of people”, but they should have been stopped by stewards.
“This is a violation, the stewards will face disciplinary measures. But on the other hand the incident was a one-off. Even more so as it was the final of the tournament,” he was quoted as saying by Russia’s Sports-Express newspaper.
The pitch invasion was the first significant security lapse in the five-week tournament that has won hosts Russia widespread praise for organisation and efficiency.