Because Of Messi's Condemnation, Heavy Fans In Beijing Are Prohibited From Watching Football For A Year

Illustration Messi (Photo: Doc. Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Argentine soccer star big fan Lionel Messi in Beijing, China has been detained by the local police. In addition, he was also prohibited from entering the stadium to watch football matches for 12 months.

The sentence was imposed on an 18-year-old man surnamed Di for entering the field to hug Messi during the match between Argentina and Australia still taking place at the Worker's Stadium, Beijing, Thursday, June 15.

"The game has rules. Football fans watching the game must obey the rules. Breaking the barrier must be punished in accordance with applicable regulations," said a statement issued by the Chaoyang District Police, Beijing quoting Antara.

In the second half of the "FIFA Match Day" friendly match, the man jumped from the stands and ran into the field.

He hugged Messi and posed for a few seconds with the Star.

Three officers chased him, but to no avail, he even made an officer fall.

Di terus berjalan menuju kiper Argentina Emiliano Martinez dan terus berputar sampai akhirnya beberapa petugas keamanan, termasuk aparat kepolisian berhasil menutuh di kakil penintang depan gawang Australia.

The match, which was watched by 50,000 spectators, was stopped for a few minutes due to the viral incident in China's cyberspace.

In an interview video released by the Twitter account Messi Fan Club, Di expressed his apology.

"I've hugged Messi, but I can't get his signature," he said.

He admitted that he wanted to go to Miami for Messi's signature.

"But I will not rush into the field and will not repeat today's mistakes," he said while admitting his guilt.

"This smile on the fan's face even after getting caught shows what it means to full-fil your dream of meeting Leo Messi," reads an upload on Messi Fan Club's Twitter account, @WeAreMessi, that "This is the smile of a fan even after being caught shows how much it means to smile to realize Leo Messi's dream of meeting."

Meanwhile, on a Chinese-style Weibo or Twitter account, Messi expressed his gratitude for the support of his fans in China.

"People wore Argentine blue-and-white costumes in the Chinese capital on Thursday night and almost all of them read Messi behind him," Messi wrote.

In the friendly match against Australia, the 2022 World Cup champion team won two goals, one of which Messi scored when the game only lasted two minutes.

As a result of the large number of Argentine national team fans who surrounded the hotel where the players were staying in Beijing, several Messi's agendas had to be canceled.

Upon arrival in Beijing on Saturday (10/6), Messi and several of his teammates were detained at the airport immigration checkpoint.

Immigration officers took about two hours to check Messi's passport, which is reportedly not equipped with a visa from the Chinese authorities.