England’s World Cup final with Spain was disrupted after an anti-Putin field invader wearing a ‘Stop Putler’ t-shirt was rugby tackled to the ground by stewards wearing football boots.
The highly anticipated final in Sydney was briefly interrupted in the 26th minute when stewards rushed onto the pitch at Stadium Australia to escort the anti-war protester away.
The intruder, also wearing a face mask, made a political protest against Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, who launched an illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has been attacking the country ever since.
The field invader was wearing a t-shirt that read “Stop Putler,” a comparison between the Russian despot and the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. It also included a photo of what appeared to be a portrait of Putin and Hitler merged into one.
The back of the t-shirt read ‘Liberate Ukraine’ and the national flag of the invaded country.
He was within arm’s reach of England star Lauren Hemp before being tackled to the ground by efficient protection. There was a brief delay as England waited to take a free kick, but the game resumed soon after.
Minutes after the pitch invasion took place, the Lionesses took a goal to Spain, where they now fight back in the second half in their quest for World Cup glory.
The BBC’s commentary team said the pitch invader was ‘handled quickly’, adding: ‘They know their rugby in this part of the world, and that was a pretty good tackle.’
A field stormer disrupted the game during the final of the Women’s World Cup on Sunday
The individual was quickly apprehended by the stewards and removed from the field
The back of the t-shirt read ‘Liberate Ukraine’ and the national flag of the invaded country
Clearly the stewards wore studded football boots to help with grip in the event of a pitch invasion – and it seemed to work. The man who entered was wearing normal sports shoes.
The political outcry comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised severe retaliation for the Russian missile strike in the center of the northern city of Chernihiv that killed seven people and injured more than 100 others.
“I am sure our soldiers will respond to Russia for this terrorist attack. Respond tangibly,” Zelensky said in a video address published in the early hours of Sunday at the conclusion of a visit to Sweden, his first trip abroad since attending a NATO summit in Lithuania last month.
He named a six-year-old girl, Sofia, as one of those killed in the attack and confirmed that 15 children were among those injured.
Chernihiv region governor Vyacheslav Chaus said on Sunday that the total number of injured had risen to 148.
Further east, Russian troops shelled the town of Kupiansk on Sunday morning, seriously wounding one man, Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
Zelensky arrived in the Netherlands on Sunday, two days after the country said the United States had given permission to Dutch and Danish authorities to supply F-16 fighter jets to the Ukrainian air force.
Zelensky meets with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at a military airbase in the southern city of Eindhoven.
Meanwhile, in Russia, five people were injured when a Ukrainian drone hit a train station in the city of Kursk, regional governor Roman Starovoit said on Sunday. Kursk is the capital of the western region of the same name, which borders Ukraine.
According to Mr. Starovoit, the drone crashed on the roof of the station building, after which a fire broke out on the roof.
Russian air defenses blocked a drone flying towards Moscow on Sunday morning, causing it to crash. Russia’s defense ministry called it “an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack.”
Moscow’s Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports briefly suspended flights, but no casualties or damage were reported.
Ukrainian authorities, who generally do not comment on attacks on Russian soil, have not said whether they launched the attacks. Drone attacks on the Russian border regions are quite regular.
Drone strikes deeper into Russian territory have been on the rise since a drone was destroyed over the Kremlin in early May. Successful attacks have exposed the vulnerabilities of Moscow’s air defense systems.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.