NO PUNISHMENT WILL be issued to the young Ireland supporter who made her way onto the Aviva Stadium pitch following last night’s World Cup qualifier against Portugal.
Addison Whelan, an 11-year-old girl from Dublin, left the ground with Cristiano Ronaldo’s shirt after approaching the Portuguese superstar in the wake of the 0-0 draw.
Amid inaccurate rumours and speculation that claimed she had subsequently been fined, the Football Association of Ireland released a statement this afternoon to confirm that no action has been taken against Addison, who plays for Shelbourne’s U13 girls team.
However, Irish football’s governing body did take the opportunity to ask supporters to refrain from future encroachments.
“We want to reassure Addison that of course she will not face any fine for running onto the pitch and asking for Ronaldo’s jersey,” said Cathal Dervan, the FAI’s Media & Football Relations Director.
“On a serious note, we would remind fans at all games that fines are liable to be levied by Uefa in certain instances for entering the field of play, particularly when the game is ongoing, and we urge all fans to respect this very sensible rule.”
Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Addison said: “I sprinted onto the pitch but there were security guards running behind me and another two coming from the other corner. I was just sprinting and screaming Ronaldo’s name.
“He turned around and he saw me. He was telling [the stewards] to leave me, so he came over to me and I was in shock. I was crying. I was like, ‘can I have your jersey, please? I’m a huge fan’, and he was saying ‘are you okay?’ and everything.
“I was thinking: oh my God, this is it, this is my dream and it’s finally coming true.”
