dpa

(TNS)

Lusail — Activists from the Russian punk group Pussy Riot tried to get onto the pitch for a protest during the World Cup final in Qatar.

As can be seen on a video obtained by dpa, members of the security forces prevented them from doing so on Sunday at the Lusail Stadium above the Argentinian substitutes’ bench, after which they were apparently led away.

Two Pussy Riot members have been detained in Qatar for a plan to run onto the World Cup pitch during the final as they did last time. This year the protest was against the war in Ukraine, for Navalny and for Iranian women. pic.twitter.com/suc2C05lzj

— X Soviet non-parody news 🇺🇦 (@XSovietNews) December 19, 2022

In the final, Argentina won 4-2 on penalties against France.

According to a press release, Pussy Riot wanted to remind the world of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, draw attention to the fate of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who is imprisoned in Russia, and also draw attention to the difficult situation of women in Iran.

They had already succeeded in doing something similar at the tournament in Qatar. In the stands at the match between Iran and the US, Pussy Riot protested for women’s rights in Iran, wearing T-shirts to the al- Thumama Stadium in Doha with the words “Woman Life Freedom” and the logo of the Iranian Football Association.

Some of them also had colourful balaclavas on their heads, which could be seen in pictures.

During the 2018 World Cup final in Russia, four Pussy Riot activists ran onto the pitch in police uniforms, for which a Moscow court imposed 15 days in detention.

JUST IN: #BNNQatar Reports

The Russian Embassy in #Qatar has not received any appeals or confirmations from authorities regarding the alleged detention of members of the Pussy Riot band at #FIFAWorldCup, according to diplomatic mission, outside of "media" reports.

#Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/jFimsHWI7v

— Gurbaksh Singh Chahal (@gchahal) December 19, 2022

©2022 dpa GmbH. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.