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A dopey fan at the USA’s opening World Cup game has been branded the ‘worst streaker in the history of sports’ after a woeful pitch invasion attempt.
The dim-witted supporter thought it would be a good idea to jump into a crowd of security staff and paid the price – before being lashed with insults from his fellow spectators.
Spirits were high in Los Angeles as the United States surged to a 4-1 victory over Paraguay thanks to an own goal, a double from Folarin Balogun, and a fine trivela finish from Giovanni Reyna.
A near-full SoFi Stadium – packed with around 70,000 fans – needed no encouragement to lose their minds as they witnessed a stellar performance from Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
But one bloke lost the plot towards the end when he jumped over the glass at the edge of the stand and started running up and down a platform, preparing to jump.
Immediately, dozens of security staff became alert on the grass, which was more than two metres below, and started tracking his every move.
A dim-witted pitch invader tried his luck at the USA vs Paraguay game – but didn’t make it far
He made it as far as a crowd of stewards, who jumped on him, and beer rained down
The man ran back and forth, dressed all in black and clutching a red and white ball, before deciding to leap foot-first into the throng.
Within a second, multiple security staff had jumped on him to pin him down.
Meanwhile, beer and cups rained down from the stands in opprobrium.
‘You f****** idiot,’ shouted one fellow supporter, who was streaming the action. ‘You f****** idiot.’
‘You dumb***,’ another roared in a broad accent. ‘What the f***!’
Our colleagues in the industry over at Barstool Sports simply described him as ‘quite possibly the worst streaker in the history of sports’.
At the very least, he was the pitch invader who never made it to the pitch.
FIFA and stadium staff will be on high alert throughout the tournament, knowing the potential risk posed by pitch invaders.
While many are harmless annoyances and simply want to take a selfie with one of their favourite stars, some could have ulterior motives.
One of the worst examples came in tennis in 1993 when Monica Seles was stabbed by a crazed fan of rival Steffi Graf in Hamburg and was unable to play for two years.
Some pitch invaders can cause a long disruption to play, such as when climate change activist Louis McKechnie tied himself to a goal post at a Premier League football match between Everton and Newcastle in 2022. It took heavy duty bolt cutters, and around eight minutes, to cut him loose.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi’s bodyguard Yassine Cheuko has shot to fame for continually stopping people from reaching the icon while he plays for Inter Miami.
The large, muscular mixed martial arts professional has a combination of pace and power that makes him a highly effective shield for the Argentinian.
