Pitch invader at Belgium-USA was an activist, got into the stadium on a wheelchair

For a brief 2-3 minutes during Belgium’s round of 16 win over the US, the game was stopped as a man invaded the pitch. First thought was that it was just another moron looking to get some attention for himself, but it wasn’t quite that.

Pictures have emerged that show the man wearing a Superman t-shirt with two hashtags on it. One read #SaveFavelasChildren. Favelas is the terms used to refer to slums in Brazil. The World Cup has caused a lot of financial & economical problems for the country, with the lower class suffering the most.

The man also had the hashtag #CiroVive on his t-shirt which is a reference to the Ciro Esposito, the Napoli fan who was shot in violence before the Coppa Italia game against Fiorentina earlier this year. He subsequently passed away this week prompting outrage in Italy and social media.

The man has been identified as Mario Ferri, with abcnews reporting that he also invaded the pitch in the Germany-Spain semi-final at the last World Cup.

It has also since emerged that Ferri got into the stadium via a disability ticket, entering the stadium on a wheelchair. This video below posted on YouTube by user Richardh Pires shows the moment where he ran onto the pitch.