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Four protesters wearing fake police uniforms
ran onto the pitch at Moscow's Luzhniki stadium on Sunday,
causing play to stop briefly at the match, which was attended by
President Vladimir Putin and other senior officials.
Alexei Sorokin, the head of Russia's World Cup organizing
committee, said they had "behaved without respect for the work
of thousands of people", but they should have been stopped by
stewards.
"This is a violation, the stewards will face disciplinary
measures. But on the other hand the incident was a one-off. Even
more so as it was the final of the tournament," he was quoted as
saying by Russia's Sports-Express newspaper.
The pitch invasion was the first significant security lapse in
the five-week tournament that has won hosts Russia widespread
praise for organization and efficiency.
The members of the group received 15-day jail sentences on
Monday and have been banned from attending sports events for
three years.
Pyotr Verzilov, one of the pitch invaders, said the performance
was meant to show how "the state, in the form of the police,
intrudes into people's lives".
Olga Kurachyova, a member of the group, said their stunt, which
held up the game only briefly, was meant to promote freedom of
speech and condemn policies of FIFA, soccer's global governing
body.
(Reporting by Tom Balmforth and Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber;
Editing by Angus MacSwan)
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