By John Ogunsemore
A 10-year-old boy who invaded the pitch during Portugal’s clash against Turkey on Saturday got off with only a warning, his father has disclosed.
Named Berat, the boy was among five invaders who took to the pitch during the Group F game played at the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund.
Sporting a red tracksuit top of his youth team and matching red trainers, the boy ran towards Portugal captain, Cristiano Ronaldo during a break in the second half of the match.
With outstretched arms, a grinning Ronaldo received the kid, who took out a mobile phone and snapped a selfie with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner before zooming off.
The child managed to evade two chasing stewards before disappearing into the crowd of spectators.
Although UEFA could have imposed a hefty price, it chose to just issue a warning, the child’s father, Cetin told German newspaper Bild.
“UEFA turned a blind eye because he’s so small,” Cetin said.
Meanwhile, Portugal’s manager, Roberto Martinez expressed security concerns over the spate of pitch invasions.
He said, “It is a concern because today we were lucky that the intentions of the fans were good.
“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.”
