England fan fined over World Cup intrusion

A football fan who berated England’s World Cup team after intruding into their locker room has been fined after admitting being in an area without authorisation, a court heard on Wednesday.

Pavlos Joseph, from London, paid a fine of around 100 dollars on Tuesday, his lawyer told a hearing of a special World Cup court in Cape Town.

“The admission of guilt fine in the amount of 750 rand was paid by the accused yesterday on a charge of contravening section six, subsection one, of the FIFA Act … namely being in a designated area without being in possession of an accreditation pass,” his lawyer Craig Webster told the court.

A British tabloid newspaper journalist, Simon Wright, has also been charged with harbouring Joseph in the aftermath of the intrusion which followed England’s 0-0 draw with Algeria in Cape Town on June 18.

Wright is due to appear before the same court later in the day.