Security at Euro 2024 came under fire on Saturday afternoon when several pitch invaders were able to get on the pitch during Portugal's clash with Turkey to try and get a selfie with Cristiano Ronaldo.
While the first person who got onto the pitch was a child, those who followed were much older and sparked a furious reaction from Portugal boss, Roberto Martinez on the sidelines.
Meanwhile, on the pitch, Cristiano Ronaldo, who was accommodating to the first fan who ran on, became visibly more frustrated with each pitch invader to the point where eventually became understandably anxious given the security risk.
After the match, Martinez was firm in his response. The former Everton manager said:
“It is a concern. Today the intentions of the fans were good. We all love a fan who recognises the big stars and icons. But you must understand there's a difficult moment if their intentions are wrong. We need to be careful. It shouldn't happen – there's a lot of security.
“We should give a message to the fans also because it is not the right way. It may get worse in the future. It's not good to have the players so exposed on the pitch.”
UEFA increase security at Euro 2024 after Ronaldo pitch invaders
Following Martinez's comments after the match, the Portuguese Football Federation wrote formally to UEFA to demand that security is ramped up for the remainder of the tournament.
Little kid getting a selfie with Ronaldo then turning on the after-burners 🤣🏃♂️➡️ pic.twitter.com/TPyLW02jjE
— Football Fights (@footbalIfights) June 22, 2024
Taking the complaint seriously, UEFA have now confirmed there will be changes to security protocol to prevent similar scenes from reoccurring. A UEFA spokesperson said:
“Safety and security in the stadium, on the pitch and at team facilities are the ultimate priority for UEFA, DFB and EURO 2024. To this end, additional safety measures will be deployed in the stadiums to further meet the requirements of the tournament, and to prevent such incidents.
“For reasons of security, we cannot comment further on specific measures. As a reminder, any incursion onto the pitch constitutes a breach of the stadium rules and will result in expulsion from the stadium, a ban from all tournament matches and the filing of a formal criminal complaint for trespass.”