Pitch invader fined for World Cup final stunt

A Spanish football fan who ran onto the pitch before the kick-off of the World Cup final and tried to put a hat on the trophy has been slapped with a fine, media reported Tuesday.

Jaume Marquet Cot, who calls himself “Jimmy Jump”, was fined 2,000 rands (260 dollars, 210 euros) by a Johannesburg court late Monday for trespassing and attempted theft of the World Cup trophy, The Star newspaper said.

Cot, a habitual pitch invader whose exploits are detailed on his website, www.jimmyjump.com, was not trying to steal the trophy but place a Spanish-style barretina hat on it to convey a message of freedom, a friend told The Star.

“He was trying to place the hat (on) the World Cup trophy, not steal it. He’s promoting freedom itself, freedom for everybody,” said his friend, Alex Sola.

Cot was punched in the face by a security guard and escorted off the pitch when he made a mad dash for the trophy 10 minutes before Sunday’s World Cup final, in which Spain clinched a 1-0 extra-time defeat over the Netherlands.