A Kerala football fan faced legal consequences after hugging Portuguese star Joao Felix and taking a selfie with Cristiano Ronaldo’s national and club teammate during the AFC Champions League Two match between Al-Nassr and FC Goa at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa. The fan spent a night in jail for entering a restricted area and putting two international players at risk.
The enthusiast managed to bypass security to approach the Portuguese forward, who agreed to take a selfie. The authorities later deleted the selfie from the fan’s phone and filed an FIR against him.“We have registered a case and issued a notice,” SP South Goa, Tikam Singh Verma, told TOI. “We filed the FIR but arrest was not needed in this case. We took him into custody after he ran on the field. He was at the police station till the time a case was registered and formalities completed.”The incident occurred during the second half when Felix was warming up on the sidelines. The fan, who identifies as a Portuguese football team supporter, jumped over a fence before security personnel escorted him away.FC Goa’s CEO Ravi Puskur addressed the security breach on social media platform X.“Despite an elevated police presence, a fan managed to cross the pitch and enter the ground. This was a clear security failure,” Puskur wrote on X (formerly Twitter).The incident may result in financial penalties for FC Goa. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is expected to impose a fine of USD 10,0000 (approximately Rs 8.8 lakh) on the club.This isn’t FC Goa’s first disciplinary action related to fan behaviour. The club previously faced penalties in September when fans used a smoke gun in the stadium.The match resulted in FC Goa’s third consecutive loss in the competition, while Al Nassr secured their third straight victory.
