Russia to punish World Cup stewards over pitch invasion during final
|Published
PITCH INVASION: Photo: DARREN STAPLES/REUTERS PITCH INVASION: Photo: DARREN STAPLES/REUTERS
Russian authorities intend to punish several stewards
over the pitch invasion during the World Cup final, the head of the
tournament's organizing committee said in an interview published
Friday.
"This is a violation. Disciplinary measures will be applied against
the stewards," Alexei Sorokin told the Sport Express newspaper.
He did not elaborate on what the punishment could be.
"The stewards acted unprofessionally, but it isn't worth accusing
them of something extreme," Sorokin said.
As the pitch invaders were wearing law enforcement uniforms, it was
understandable that they could have been difficult to detect, Sorokin
said, explaining: "We all grew up with respect for the uniform."
Four members of the political punk band Pussy Riot ran onto the pitch
during the final between France and Croatia in Moscow last weekend.
Pussy Riot at World Cup (her smile!) #PussyRiot #FifaWorldCupRussia2018 pic.twitter.com/YVFfh5k9sx
— Lorraine W Todd (@Ltla52) July 15, 2018
Courageous and iconic image of the World Cup 2018 - France's Kylian Mbappé high fiving a member of #PussyRiot after she broke onto the pitch to protest political oppression in Russia #Resistancematters pic.twitter.com/XEkzF6CVMv
— Ram Bhandari (@RamBhandariNEP) July 15, 2018
They were found guilty of a misdemeanour violation of spectator
conduct and sentenced to 15 days in jail.
Pussy Riot became famous in 2012 when two of its members were
imprisoned for more than a year for hooliganism over a protest in a
prominent Moscow cathedral.