The young boy that ran onto the pitch during Portugal’s Euro 2024 group clash against Turkey on Saturday to snap a picture with Cristiano Ronaldo has avoided serious punishment from tournament organisers, according to the child’s father.
Ronaldo handled the situation brilliantly when 10-year-old Berat ran onto the pitch after leaping out of the stands during the match in a bid to get close to the Portuguese superstar.
The 39-year-old surprisingly welcomed the interaction by embracing the child who had evaded security and even took a minute to pose for a selfie with the youngster on the halfway line.
The young boy ran away from several security guards after sprinting away from Ronaldo following the interaction before being brought to a halt near the dugouts.
Pitch invaders can face a range of punishments for interrupting play that can lead all the way up to a full stadium ban, but the young Ronaldo fan has been let off with a formal talking to, as reported by BILD.
The young boy that ran onto the pitch during Portugal’s Euro 2024 group clash against Turkey on Friday to snap a picture with Cristiano Ronaldo avoided serious punishment
Ronaldo handled the situation brilliantly when 10-year-old Berat (right) ran onto the pitch after leaping out of the stands during the match
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Berat’s father, Cetin claimed he had no idea his son was going to run onto the pitch and only realised what was happening when he saw him climbing on the roof of the dugout.
Explaining what had happened, Cetin explained UEFA haven’t pursued any serious punishment, stating: ‘Uefa probably turned a blind eye because he’s so small.
‘Suddenly I saw him on the roof of the substitutes’ bench and then he started running,’ he added.
The young fan also confirmed his shock at carrying through his plan to get a once-in-a-lifetime meeting with Ronaldo and explained his emotions after the match.
‘Why? But I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep tonight now. But no one believed I would actually do it,’ he said.
Ronaldo was frustrated as more pitch invaders tried to get close to him during the game
Berat run onto the pitch was a heart-warming moment but also raised concerns over the security at matches
Berat’s run onto the pitch was a heart-warming moment but also raised concerns over the security at matches after five other individuals also attempted to get onto the field of play.
UEFA have responded and issued a statement saying they will be increasing security in stadiums hosting matches at Euro 2024.
‘To this end additional safety measures will be deployed in stadiums to further meet requirements of the tournament and to prevent such incidents happening.
‘For security reasons we cannot comment further on specific safety measures,’ UEFA said.
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