Giovanni Trapattoni, the former Republic of Ireland manager, was caught off guard when appearing on a TV programme in Germany, which was interrupted by topless female protestors.

The Italian, 74, was part of a panel with host Markus Lanz on the ZDF channel, when two women representing FEMEN, an activists group aiming to fight what their website describes as "patriarchy," stormed the show. 

The activists took aim at FIFA, shouting "Boycott FIFA mafia," with only painted-on footballs covering their modesty.

As can be seen from the screenshot above, Trapattoni's face appeared to light up upon catching sight of the protesters, who had about a minute on stage before they were ushered out.

You can watch the video here (be warned, it might be considered NSFW).

FEMEN's main target, according to the International Business Times, was the World Cup in Qatar in 2022:

Lanz asked a male protester who was with the activists to explain their motives. He replied that workers in Qatar were "treated like slaves". 

[...] Human rights group have condemned Qatar's treatment of foreign workers in the country.

Amnesty International said it found evidence that foreign workers, hired in a huge building spree that will turn Doha into a global hub for the World Cup, are being forced to fill positions different to those they were recruited for and often receive lower salaries than promised

Pay for 1.38 million foreign nationals already hired by Qatar are often suspended for months and workers are being assigned excessive overtime, amnesty claimed.

FEMEN first shot to prominence in the build-up to—and during—the Euro 2012 Championships in Poland and Ukraine, where similarly bold protests and stunts were orchestrated to target the sex-trafficking industry in Ukraine.

The Daily Mirror carried reports from those protests last year.

Whether FEMEN's protests have any effect remain to be seen, but FIFA remain under pressure for any number of reasons over the controversial decision to award Qatar football's most prestigious tournament.

Via: bleacherreport.com

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