PORTUGAL’S clash with Uruguay was forced to stop after a spectator invaded the pitch carrying a rainbow flag.
The protester raced onto the field from the stands just moments before Bruno Fernandes put Portugal ahead in their World Cup Group H showdown – although Cristiano Ronaldo may dispute who got the final touch.
The ITV cameras failed to show the individual, but commentator Jon Champion confirmed that they were carrying a rainbow flag.
Photos emerged later showing that the man was also wearing a blue t-shirt with the ‘Superman’ logo with the words ‘Save Ukraine’ written on it.
And on the back it had ‘Respect for Iranian Woman’.
After the short delay to the match, which Portugal won 2-0, Champion added that security had caught the person and ‘frogmarched’ him off the grass.
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Seven nations, including England and Wales, planned for their skippers to wear One Love armbands in their opening World Cup matches.
The armbands promote inclusivity and LGBTQ+ rights, with same-sex relationships illegal in Qatar.
Alongside the above three, Germany, France, Belgium, and Switzerland had all also wanted their captains to wear them.
But the seven skippers were warned by Fifa that they faced a yellow card as a “minimum” punishment for wearing the armbands.
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Germany sent a defiant message to Fifa with an iconic team photo ahead of their shock World Cup defeat to Japan yesterday.
Their players lined up for the pre-match team photo and all covered their mouths with their right hand – an act to show they had been silenced by the tournament organisers.
We also reported last week how Qatar has been ordered by Fifa to stop forcing fans to remove their rainbow hats when they enter stadiums.
Security guards ahead of Wales’ 1-1 draw with the USA cracked down on fans wearing pro-LGBTQ+ clothing at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.
Fans reported being forced to remove rainbow-coloured bucket hats, rainbow wristbands and even rainbow laces.
And one man even reported he was refused entry to the stadium because he was wearing a T-shirt sporting a rainbow.
LGBTQ+ rights have been at the centre of controversies around the World Cup – with same-sex relationships punishable by death in Qatar.
Welsh fan group The Rainbow Wall reported only women were targeted and forced to remove their rainbow clobber.
And this included former Wales international football star Laura McAllister.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
