BERLIN - German World Cup organizers will put officials in the front rows of most stadiums in an effort to stop people from running onto the field and interrupting games.

The German organizing committee said Tuesday the move was an attempt to prevent a repeat of what happened during last year's Confederations Cup, when people made their way onto the field four times.

The committee said in a statement that it is concentrating on the front row, because "experience shows this to be the starting point for the majority of pitch invasions, carried out to satisfy a craving for recognition, to win bets, for publicity purposes or even with malicious intent."

Referees and local officials will be seated in the front row ahead of kickoff and will monitor activity, alerting security agents if they suspect someone is about to jump onto the field.

The measure won't apply to stadiums in Berlin, Leipzig and Gelsenkirchen, where the layout makes running on the field difficult.