Two men and a boy have been charged for invading the pitch at Wembley during the Champions League final on Saturday (June 1), as the Met Police admitted some people managed to get into the stadium for free. Yevhenii Lubnenko, 29, of no fixed address, David Carneckij, 28, of Walworth Road, Walworth, and a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, have been accused of running onto the pitch at the world-famous event.
All three were charged with going onto the playing area at a football match contrary to Sec 4 of the Football (Offences) Act 1991. Police are continuing to enquire into two other people arrested in connection with the same incident who have not yet been charged.
Lubnenko and Carneckji are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, June 3 and Wednesday, July 10 respectively. The 16-year-old boy will appear at Highbury Corner Youth Court on Monday, June 24.
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The three face a potential level 3 fine for the alleged crime of running onto the field, according to the Sentencing Council, which could mean a hefty bill of up to ÂŁ1,000. Pitch invaders were seen running onto the field taking selfies with players like Vinicius Junior and recording videos on their phones. The match was viewed by nearly half a billion people.
In total, police made 56 arrests around the Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid – most of which were for attempts to breach security. A spokesperson for the Met Police said on Saturday that the force was confident the ‘overwhelming majority’ of attempts to unlawfully gain access to the stadium were unsuccessful, adding that there was a ‘robust’ policing operation in place to support Wembley stewards and stadium staff.
The Football Association invested ÂŁ5 million in improving safety, security and infrastructure at Wembley in the wake of the trouble at the Euro 2020 final, when ticketless fans stormed gates to gain access to the stadium. Stadium bosses had announced their commitment to clamp down on ‘poor fan behaviour’ ahead of Saturday’s match.
Real Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the dramatic final, netting two in the final 20 minutes of the game. It means Real now have 15 Champions League titles, and poor Dortmund were beaten back as they were in their last European final in 2013. Dortmund have won the championship once in 1997 but haven’t had any luck since.
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