Persecuted Chinese religious sect Falun Gong, which recently hijacked state TV and radio broadcasts in several regions, also managed to interrupt showings of the World Cup final, the Chinese government has finally conceded.

Beijing admitted yesterday that overseas members of the group had intercepted the state run Sinosat satellite in the week up to and including June 30.

While millions of viewers in several provinces were looking forward to the silky skills of Ronaldo and company, they found themselves listening to Falun Gong anti-state rhetoric.

The interceptors also managed to disrupt broadcasts of the fifth anniversary of the Hong Kong handover in several provinces, including Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan.

The Chinese government denounced the act as "evil behaviour" and said that it would take "extreme measures" to stamp out any future hijack attempts.