Italian football fan charged after invading World Cup match

(ANSA) - Rome, July 2 - Brazilian authorities on Wednesday revoked the passport of an Italian football fan who invaded the field during the Belgium-United States second-stage World Cup match on Tuesday.
    Mario Ferri, aka The Falcon, barged onto the field in the 16th minute of the game at Arena Fonte Nova stadium in Salvador Bahia.
    He sported a Superman T-shirt that said Save Favelas Children and Ciro Lives, in honor of 29-year-old Neapolitan football fan Ciro Esposito, who died on June 25 after he was shot during fan violence before the Italian Cup final in May.
    "They detained me for five hours and banned me from attending any future matches", Ferri told ANSA.
    Authorities are charging him with invading a playing field and assuming a false identity after he finagled his way into the stadium on a wheelchair and with a photographer's pass.
    "This person is a terrible example and must be punished", said FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke.
    Ferri is known for his penchant for invading football matches, including the Germany-Spain semifinal during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and an Inter-Mazembe game in Abu Dhabi the same year. On that occasion, he tried unsuccessfully to evade arrest by stowing away on a cruise ship.