NEW DELHI: Cristiano Ronaldo faced on-field confrontations from four supporters seeking selfies during Portugal's 3-0 win over Turkey in Dortmund's Westfalenstadion on Saturday, leading coach Roberto Martinez to express concerns over player safety.
The incidents began in the 69th minute when a young fan evaded stewards, reaching Ronaldo, who posed for a selfie. The situation escalated when, in the final minutes, two more people attempted similar actions.
Following the final whistle, another person managed to get close to the 39-year-old striker for a photograph. Security intervened as two additional people tried to confront Ronaldo as he walked off the field with his teammates.
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“It is a concern,” Martinez was quoted as saying by AP after the game, “because today we were lucky that the intentions of the fans were good.”
“We all love a fan that recognizes the big stars and the big icons in their minds. We all agree with that. But you can understand it was a very, very difficult moment — if those intentions are wrong, the players are exposed and we need to be careful with that. I don't think that should happen on a football pitch.”
Pitch invader with Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo before being detained by stewards. (Reuters Photo)
Martinez emphasized the importance of communicating to fans that such behavior is not acceptable.
“It's not the right way, you’re not going to get anything out of it,” Martinez added. “And what you do is probably the measures get worse for the future.
“It’s not good to get the players so exposed when you have people running on the pitch.”
Steward catches a pitch invader that ran to Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo. (AP Photo)
Ronaldo's teammate, Bernardo Silva, who also scored against Turkey, shared a different perspective on the matter.
“It's just a bit annoying in terms of having to stop the game because a fan enters the pitch,” Silva said. “That’s the price you pay for being so recognized in the world of football.
“In terms of feeling in danger, no. Not me personally.”
The series of breaches highlighted vulnerabilities in stadium security and the need for stricter measures to protect players during games.
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