Portugal’s Euro 2024 Group F win over Turkey in Dortmund on Saturday was halted four times as fans ran onto the pitch to take selfies with Cristiano Ronaldo, and twice more after the match.
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez commented seriously on the incident after the match, saying that this should not be allowed to happen and he urged other supporters not to do so.
“It is a matter of concern but we were lucky today because the fans’ intentions were good,” he said. “Fans idolise big stars and icons but if their intentions are wrong and the players are exposed then the situation becomes very difficult.
“This shouldn’t happen. There is a lot of security there, so this shouldn’t happen. Maybe the message being given to the fans is that this is not the right way (to behave). The message is that in the future it can get worse and it is not good that players are so exposed on the field.”
Ronaldo, who is now playing his club football with Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, smiled and posed for a photo with a young boy who ran onto the field of play in the 70th minute, dodging security guards.
Ronaldo hugged this child, who was about 10 years old, and then escaped from the security personnel and ran towards the edge of the field.
Players and substitutes on the touchline patted the boy on the head as he was carried off, and the crowd in the stadium waved and cheered him as he was carried off.
A teenage boy attempted to repeat the same stunt 15 minutes later but Portugal captain Ronaldo raised his hands in the air to signal him to go away but security managed to stop the teen from reaching the former Real Madrid and Manchester United player.
On both occasions German referee Felix Zweier was forced to suspend the game until the youngsters had been escorted off the field.
Two more supporters, this time adult men, ran onto the field during stoppage time and advanced towards Ronaldo with their phones, but were stopped by security personnel.
Eventually, after the final whistle two more supporters repeated the move but did not disrupt play, still coming onto the field.
The incidents triggered an automatic disciplinary investigation by UEFA into security inside the stadium, which is also scheduled to host Germany’s round of 16 match and a later semi-final of the tournament.
