Had it not been for Bruno Fernandes or Cristiano Ronaldo, then Mario Ferri would've been the most-talked about name after Portugal's 2-0 victory over Uruguay at the World Cup.
That's because minutes before Fernandes - or Ronaldo if you believe that the ball skimmed his hair - opened the scoring, the infamous Italian ran across Stadium 974's pitch with a rainbow flag and wearing a t-shirt which had on it two messages; 'Save Ukraine ' and 'Respect For Iranian Women'.
Ferri left the flag on the pitch in a symbol of solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. He was then removed by security after the first major incident of protest at the World Cup in Qatar, a state which outlaws homosexuality and has an atrocious human rights record. But Ferri's activism goes far beyond the Middle East in 2022, and his own story is a tale in itself.
