Cristiano Ronaldo pitch invaders force UEFA to implement new measures
06/23/2024 12:08 PM
UEFA have been forced to implement new rules at Euro 2024 after Cristiano Ronaldo was mobbed by six pitch invaders.
Euro 2024 organisers came under fire after Ronaldo had to bat away numerous fans who ran onto the Signal Iduna Park field during Portugal’s 3-0 win over Turkey on Saturday afternoon.
While the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was happy to take a selfie with a young boy who first escaped the pursuit of security staff, his mood soured when much older fans tried their luck later in the game.
In total, six managed to breeze past the stewards in Dortmund and one official even ‘two-footed’ Goncalo Ramos as he tried to chase them down.
UEFA have reacted strongly and issued a statement, insisting strict rules will be enforced to prevent fans from running onto the pitch.
That includes banning pitch invaders from any matches for the rest of the tournament and the possibility of being prosecuted for trespassing.
A UEFA statement read: "Safety and security in the stadium, on the pitch and at team facilities are the ultimate priority for UEFA, DFB and EURO 2024 GmbH.
“To this end, additional safety measures will be deployed in the stadiums to further meet the requirements of the tournament, and to prevent such incidents.
“For reasons of security, we cannot comment further on specific measures.
“As a reminder, any incursion onto the pitch constitutes a breach of the stadium rules and will result in expulsion from the stadium, a ban from all tournament matches and the filing of a formal criminal complaint for trespass."
While the ten-year-old fan who managed to grab a selfie admitted it was a ‘dream come true’ to meet his idol, Portugal boss Roberto Martinez was not happy with the lack of security.
Reports in Germany say the young Ronaldo fan and his father – who didn’t know of his son’s plans to leap over the dugout roof and onto the field – escaped with a warning as UEFA ‘turned a blind eye because he is so small’, but older offenders will not be so lucky.
"It is a concern because today we were lucky that the intentions of the fans were good," said former Everton, Wigan and Belgium boss Martinez.
"We all love a fan who recognises the big stars and the big icons in their life. We all agree with that.
“But there is a very, very difficult moment if those intentions are wrong – the players are exposed and we need to be careful with that."
Portugal have qualified for the knockout rounds of the European Championship after winning both of their games, though Turkey almost handed them victory.
Bernardo Silva opened the scoring for the Selecao before a bizarre own goal from Samet Akaydin, just after Ronaldo and Joao Cancelo had clashed.
Another defensive mishap saw Ronaldo race clear of the Turkish defence before teeing up former Manchester United teammate Bruno Fernandes for a tap-in.
