World Cup Pitch intruders detained for 15 days

On Monday, a Moscow court handed down 15 days in jail to four members of the protest group Pussy Riot, who disrupted the final of the South African World Cup between France and Croatia when they rushed to court with fake police uniforms.

The Toninvasion of punk band members at the beginning of the second half of the finals was a brisk act in the Moscow Luzhniki Stadium in front of Russian President Vladimir Putin and other top officials from around the world.

The judge also prohibited the four from attending sporting events for three years.

The four were Veronika Nikulshina, Olga Pakhtusova, Olga Kurachyova and Pyotr Verzilov, the only male.

Kurachyova said his trick, which kept the game short, was to promote freedom of expression and condemn the policies of FIFA, the governing body of world football.

"It's a shame we interrupted the athletes," Kurachyova told reporters Monday.

"FIFA is involved in unfair games, FIFA is friends with the leaders who are carrying out the repressions that violate human rights."

Vergilov said that the performance should also show how "the state in the form of a police officer invades people's lives".

Three of Pussy Riot's original members were arrested in 2012 for protesting against Putin in a church. Since then, the group has become a symbol of direct action against the Kremlin.

Croatian defender Dejan Lovren, who pushed aside the intruder on the pitch, told reporters that the incident had disrupted the game at an important time for his team.

The game, in which France had won 4-2, was seen by Putin and the French and Croatian presidents.