In this “summer of soccer,” a handful of individuals have broken the plane between spectators and players by invading playing fields during live action.
Five people—including a child—made their way to Cristiano Ronaldo in hopes of getting selfies with the iconic striker during the Portugal-Turkey Euro 2024 match on June 21. Organizers said they would implement new security measurements as well as penalties for the invaders, yet a different individual got too close to Kylian Mbappé during the France-Spain semifinal of the same tournament on Tuesday.
In North America, MLS fans have been introduced to Lionel Messi’s personal security detail since the Argentinian superstar came to Inter Miami last year. In two games in April, invaders sprinted past the ex-Navy Seal whose job is to protect Messi, including a young girl who boasted about getting a selfie on her Instagram account.
The incidents aren’t confined to soccer. Six climate protesters waving smoke bombs stormed the 18th green during the final round of June’s Travelers Championship, delaying the conclusion of the PGA Tour event.
These incursions have raised questions about the security of the participants in elite sports. Many of the recent invasions have involved minors interested in creating a viral social media event, but incidents like the 1993 stabbing of tennis legend Monica Seles never stray far from the minds of security officials.
Kids These Days
What happens when someone who doesn’t belong on the field jumps over the guardrail? Security professionals must act quickly—simultaneously assessing the profile of the would-be invader and chasing the person down.
“As security practitioners, your first response should be to deal with the issue as if it’s a potential threat,” Scott Anderson, vice president of business operations for Oak View Group’s Prevent Advisors, said in a phone interview. “Then at that point in time, we always recommend applying the minimal amount of force necessary to deal with that issue, because it happens in the public eye. You could interpret it as a threat, but (maybe) it’s a 16-year-old kid trying to get a selfie.”
While incursions involving children are often seen as a joke, stadium and security officials are left to deal with parents or guardians who may have encouraged the acts. “And the parents are coming back quite upset when the call goes, ‘Hey Mr. or Mrs. Season Ticket Holder, that was really not consistent with what we’re trying to accomplish’,” MLS head of security Jeff Stonebreaker said in a separate phone interview. “’Here’s your money back for the rest of the season, and you’re banned you’re banned for a year’.”
Stonebreaker said that while a pitch invader could be banned indefinitely, it’s up to the club to reinstate ticketing privileges.
“In many countries, it’s a criminal offense. You can get in a lot of trouble by doing this,” Paul Foster, CEO of OnePlan Events, an event logistics and security firm, said during a Zoom interview. “What’s the impact if it’s a child (and) they go on the pitch? Where are their parents? Who’s supposed to be looking after them?
Risking It All for the Likes
Social media has accelerated the athlete-over-team fandom.
Foster says the fandom of singular athletes offers a bit of a different profile compared to attention-seeking streakers that have leapt over barriers for decades. “There’s kind of a celebrity kind of status, almost like an obsession with these players like there is with Ronaldo,” Foster said. “Kids running on the pitch just to get a picture with him … It’s quite a new thing where people go off to try and target (one person).”
Stonebreaker gave Inter Miami credit for a swift response to handling the fan frenzy since Messi’s arrival last year. “The Miami away matches tend to be high-risk matches mainly because—not just Messi, but (Luis) Suarez, (Sergio) Busquets,” he said. “It’s a very talent-laden (team) right now, and people love (Messi).”
Social media users can also keep up with those who take up societal causes in ways prior generations could not. Individual activists and organizations can galvanize online audiences to their causes. The Extinction Rebellion protesters who ran onto the 18th green at the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship use the platforms to encourage disruption, regardless of how effective those tactics are in creating favorable attention for their cause.
Security professionals, of course, are versed in the ways of the modern world. “I think social media drives people to do things they wouldn’t normally do,” Anderson said. “And while they might not be a threat, they try and break into different events just to get the views, likes and more followers on their account.”
At the same time, he said, technologies have developed “that have allowed venue operators or sporting events to monitor that and to be able to pick up on potential issues.”
Wide Open Spaces
Though no sporting event is immune to disruptors, the moments that capture attention often occur during outdoor sporting events, where invaders have fewer impediments inside the ticket gates. Indoor arenas, by contrast, tend to have more corridors and smaller concourses that support crowd management.
“I would say the No. 1 challenge, especially with outdoor events, is the nonexistent infrastructure … to put in crowd management plans and control access to the venue,” Anderson said. “I’ve been to multiple golf tournaments where it’s built in the middle of a neighborhood; a person’s backyard is within the property of the event. How do you secure that?”
Anderson went on to explain that outdoor venues have far more access points to athletes, making the temptation of going for that selfie even greater. “The focus gets turned from securing the access control points to the playing surface (and) protecting the athletes. A lot of times in these outdoor events, you’re focused more on the protection of the athlete.”
Foster says knowing the makeup of the crowd helps security understand potential threats. “You’ve got to look at the profile of the audience, the age,” he said. “You’re less likely to see things at golf just because of the kind of people going. You’re more likely to have something at some of these bigger events. It’s a rare chance to see Ronaldo these days because he plays in Saudi Arabia. Some people would want to take that kind of opportunity to get the selfie with him.”
Ideally, security professionals shouldn’t be on SportsCenter or trending on social media for tackling someone. Even worse, they don’t want to appear overwhelmed as was the case at the end of Wednesday’s Copa America semifinal when players for Uruguay brawled with fans in the stands after losing to Columbia. Organizers, security pros and law enforcement need to act not only when someone runs out on to the field, but in advance, to ensure it doesn’t happen in the first place.
Despite a rash of recent incidents, no athletes have been hurt. So far. That doesn’t justify complacency.
“My concerns are that key decision-makers don’t get lulled into a false sense of security where nothing’s happened, so nothing’s going to happen,” Stonebreaker said. “We need to stay in front of things.”
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