Fine for fan who tried to hug 'idol' Cristiano Ronaldo at Euro 2016
Samshir Karimi, the Swiss glazier and fan who tried to hug Cristiano Ronaldo in extra time of Portugal-Poland, and may wish he hadn't after being slapped with a fine in a Marseilles court.
What may have seemed like a good idea at the time has cost Shamshir Karimi, a Swiss glazier of Iraqi origin €500 euro. When he ran onto the pitch during the extra-time period of Portugal-Poland, he met an abrubt halt at the hands of stewards who streaked onto the pitch after him and carried him off unceremoniously.
In a Marseille court on Monday he explained that he did it because Cristiano Ronaldo is 'his idol', a fact that did not impress the judge.
Karimi entered the field of play in minute 110 in the Marseilles Velodrome and ran towards the Real Madrid forward, before being intercepted by members of the stadium security team, who promptly removed him from the pitch.
It is the second time that a fan has invaded the pitch to get closer to Cristiano Ronaldo. During the Portugal-Austria match on June 18 in the Parc des Princes in Paris, another fan managed to get close enough to Ronaldo to take a selfie with him, which Ronaldo allowed.
UEFA fined the Portuguese FA for that incident, and have also begun proceedings for this latest pitch invasion that will be resolved by the Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) on June 21.