The protester who entered the field during the World Cup game between Portugal and Uruguay holding a rainbow flag told Reuters that FIFA president Gianni Infantino had intervened to ensure he was released by Qatari authorities.
Wearing a blue T-shirt with the message “Save Ukraine” on the front and “Respect for Iranian women” on the back, Mario Ferri, who goes by the nickname Falcão, was stopped by security guards and taken away.
“Gianni Infantino is smart. Falcao is free, with no problems in Qatar,” he explained in an interview via conference call from his home in Italy.
The 35-year-old said he thought Infantino, born in Switzerland to Italian immigrants, wanted to avoid a diplomatic incident or negative media coverage, so he stepped in to free Ferri.
Reuters has contacted FIFA for comment.
“The Qatari police are very gentlemen, very friendly, they asked me if I wanted water, coffee, a croissant. Very friendly,” said Falcão.
He says he was in custody for about half an hour when the FIFA president suddenly appeared.
“After I handed over my personal documents to the police, I was left waiting and, within 30 minutes, Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, came to help me,” he explained.
previous invasions
Ferri said Infantino recognized him from previous pitch invasions, of which he claims he has made 11 in total, including at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
“He asked me ‘why? Qatar is too dangerous for you, but I have a plan to help you’. He went to talk to important people in the Qatari police and in 30 minutes he was free. He was free, outside the stadium. “
Ferri revealed that he spent a month as an aid worker in the Ukrainian capital Kiev in March this year. Seeing the Ukrainian War up close had a profound effect on him.
“I remember everything, I remember the children fleeing their homes, the old women and old men who had no home, food or water. It is very important for me to stop the war”, he said.
Ferri has left Qatar and says he will continue his protests.
“I’m always trying to fight for a new world, I don’t want war in the world. I want peace in the world,” he said.
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