‘Farce’: Football rocked as pitch invaders strike again
The Champions League final has been hijacked on Sunday morning as pitch invaders struck again in “embarrassing” scenes.
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The Champions League final was hijacked on Sunday morning as pitch invaders streaked onto the ground just 30 seconds after kick-off.
Three pitch invaders were able to run onto the ground without a response from security as players were left furious standing around.
The blockbuster showdown between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium near London was delayed for several minutes.
At one point it was up to Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marcel Sabitzer to tackle one of the streakers.
It is yet another case where pitch invaders have attempted to disrupt the Champions League final, and one invasion by former Sports Illustrated model Kinsey Wolanski made international headlines in 2019.
Eventually things settled down and Real Madrid’s team of superstars were able to compose themselves in the second half and went on to win 2-0.
Two late goals from Dani Carvajal and Viniciua Junior sealed the win.
The three troublemakers evaded Wembley’s beefed up security operation and made their way onto the pitch - each sporting the name ‘Mellstroy’ on their T-shirts.
Mellstroy is a controversial Russian blogger, who social media reports suggest had offered £300,000 to anyone who stormed the pitch wearing his name.
The 25-year-old streamer, real name Andrey Burim, has been accused of going to extreme lengths to attract views.
He was arrested in late 2020 for beating a model, Alena Efremova, on a live broadcast.
It is currently not known if the offer is legitimate, if all three will be paid separately, or at all.
The ball had been rolled back to Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois before the first invader was spotted.
TV cameras immediately panned away from the incident.
Both Carlo Ancelotti and Edin Terzic could only look on in annoyance as they waited for the game to resume.
One of the men that stormed the pitch attempted to take a selfie with Madrid and Brazil superstar Vinicius Jr.
Another pitch invader ran past Courtois before security could get to him.
When he reached near the centre-circle, he was apprehended by marshals.
Former Manchester United midfielder Sabitzer aided in tackling the pitch-invader to the ground.
The incident will be an embarrassment for the FA, who had pumped £5million into the security operation at Wembley after past problems including at the Euro 2020 final.
Their ‘ring of steel’ involved over 2,500 security stewards, the most the stadium has ever seen.
Sky Sports commentator Adam Bate, who watched the scene at Wembley, said: “This is bizarre. No obvious response from stewards when the first pitch invader took his sweet time taking selfies with Bellingham and Vinicius.
“That seems to have prompted others to have a go. Farce.”
Sky Sports’ Peter Smith said: “There is an increased police presence outside the stadium tonight to try to prevent any trouble but that was a chaotic start inside the ground.
“Stewards are still wrestling with a third fan who tried to get onto the pitch but didn’t even make it past the electronic advertising boards.”
Former English striker Chris Sutton said on the BBC: “From the players’ perspective it is about trying to stay focused and keeping their minds on the job.
“You can understand their frustration though, they worked so hard to get to the final only for people to run onto the pitch at the very start.”
Security at the 2019 showpiece at Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid were also widely criticised when Wolanski was able to advertise an X-rated site as she ran onto the field wearing a skimpy swimming suit.
Wolanski was eventually revealed to be the girlfriend of controversial Youtuber Vitaly Zdorovetskiy.
The blonde bombshell ran onto the pitch at Wanda Metropolitano in a swimsuit promoting the prankster’s porn site as Liverpool went on to be crowned Champions five years ago.
Originally published as ‘Farce’: Football rocked as pitch invaders strike again
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