A young fan was arrested by Chinese police and banned from stadiums for a year after storming onto the pitch in Argentina’s 2-0 win over Australia on Thursday to hug Lionel Messi.
“The Chaoyang District Public Security Bureau has placed him under administrative detention in accordance with the law,” police said in a statement released on Friday, identifying the 18-year-old by his last name, Di. He will not be able to enter a stadium for the next 12 months.
“After the incident, Di said he was sorry and accepted the punishment handed down by public security,” he added, without specifying the length of his detention or whether he was released.
The young man, dressed in the Argentina shirt, entered the field in the second half to give his idol a hug, before being caught by security, while the public had fun cheering him on.
Messi is a great idol in China, a country where there is a strong presence of football fans, despite the national team not taking off and the national league being stagnant.
More than 50,000 people watched the match between Messi’s Argentina and Australia in Beijing. Many of the fans wore the jerseys of the star, who scored a great goal in the first minute of the game.
Hundreds of these fans had already passed through the luxurious Albiceleste hotel. One of them even hid in a closet to approach ‘la Pulga’, but was discovered by the establishment’s security service.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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