By Joiner Martínez
01 Jun 2024, 16:29 PM EDT
The UEFA Champions League final had a truly unusual start because before the minute of play the actions between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium had to be stopped due to the invasion of the field by different fans in an episode rarely seen in a definition of the highest continental tournament in Europe.
25 seconds into the game, surprise took hold of those present because a person dressed in black entered the playing field and approached the figure of Jude Bellingham with striking passivity to take a photo.
It was the same players from Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid who caught the attention of the security members. The UEFA broadcast then stopped focusing on the grass, as is usually the case, while they caught Edin Terzic and Carlo Ancelotti complaining about what happened.
One of the fans went to Vinicius Jr. to take a photo with the Brazilian. In that confusion, two other fans took advantage of the opportunity to jump onto the stage of the final due to the desperation and anger of the players, such as Nacho Fernández.
One of them was wearing a t-shirt with the name ‘Mellstroy’, a controversial Russian YouTuber who has taken advantage of the event to make a name for himself in a match with millions of viewers around the world.
It must be taken into account that the transmission protocol prevents showing people who jump onto the playing field with the aim of discouraging the search for those who use this method to try to promote themselves in high-profile sporting events.
How much is the fine for jumping onto the field?
According to the fines imposed in other cases, as happened with the Russian model Kinsey Wolanski, who jumped onto the grass in the 2019 final, held in Madrid and played by Liverpool and Tottenham, the financial sum can amount to $15,000 dollars, as happened in that case.
In Spain, the Law against Violence and Intolerance in Sports, from 2007, establishes that a “violent act or conduct or that incites violence in sports”, such as an “unauthorized break-in on the grounds of game”, can carry a financial penalty of between $150 and 3,000 dollars and a ban on entering a football stadium for between one and three months, if it is considered a minor infraction.
On the other hand, if it were considered “serious”, the fine could rise up to $6,000 dollars, with the minimum being $3,000 dollars, in addition to the prohibition of accessing any premises for a period of between six months and two years.
All in all, we will have to be aware of the amount that the three people who have sneaked onto the playing field finally have to pay, although precedents suggest that this figure would not be higher than 15 or $20,000 dollars.
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