Belgium’s last-32 match against Senegal was interrupted midway through the first half after protesters ran onto the pitch at Seattle’s Lumen Field. Senegal were leading 1-0 at the time of the stoppage, and several players tried to avoid stadium security and enter the pitch.
They were able to run around for a few seconds, but security responded and were eventually taken off the pitch. This was the most high-profile example of people storming the pitch at this summer’s World Cup, but there were other instances during the tournament.
Speaking on ITV’s live broadcast of the game, Sam Matterface said: “The game has been stopped due to a social media prank. There are three or four young gentlemen trying to get onto the pitch so it’s quite a dangerous situation.”
“Two of the three are now in a grapple. The third person escaped from the security guards who were desperately trying to catch him, and the demonstrators were eventually removed.”
He added, before adding: “Another interruption. We don’t really get that at the World Cup. We had a few at the Euros a few years ago. People were flocking to get selfies with famous players.”
One of the moments Matterface mentioned was during a Portugal match when a young fan ran onto the pitch and took a selfie with Cristiano Ronaldo. But the suspension of Belgium’s game against Senegal is not the only intrusion on the pitch so far at this summer’s World Cup.
During the final group stage match between Iran and Egypt, a fan broke through the fence, but was tackled to the ground just before he could take the pitch. The game was also played at Seattle’s Lumen Field, where tensions had been high before kickoff due to reports of the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States.
Early in the tournament, a fan tried to enter the pitch during the game between the United States and Paraguay, and during the game against Paraguay, another member of the audience was shot on the side of the pitch. Elsewhere, a supporter approached Neymar after he played the entire Round of 32 match between Brazil and Japan in Houston.
