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Ghana’s Black Stars beat South Africa last Thursday, starting the quest to reach the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations on a bright note. But while the 2-0 win had a packed Cape Coast Stadium reasonably excited, the ecstasy of at least one fan — 25-year-old Awal Sulemana — was unbridled and, literally, spilled over onto the pitch. In turn, the incident – which saw Sulemana only captured and restrained after taking security officers present on a good chase late in the game – got Ghanaians talking about pitch invasions, a subject that isn’t really known about in these parts.
Daily Mail GH details all you need to know about such sightings that, as you are probably aware, feature a lot more regularly in the West’s sporting culture.
1. WHY INVADE?
Pitch invasions – or streaking, as the act is referred to in some quarters — aren’t always done for the mere thrill of it; ask almost every streaker, and they’d give you a ‘good’ reason or two for what they do. From promoting pornographic websites and displaying solidarity with jailed separatist leaders to having a go at underperforming/opposing players or winning a dare, motives certainly abound. Awal’s selfie-seeking behavior – Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey his target — certainly fits right in, with Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo particularly no stranger to fans racing right through games to steal moments with him.
2. ANY INFAMOUS INVASIONS & INVADERS?
Streakers, needless to say, are drawn to the biggest platforms, across all sports. Finals of the Fifa World Cup, rugby World Cup, and the Uefa Champions League have all been ‘graced’, as have the Olympics, Grand Prix, Premier League, Ryder Cup, French Open, and even bullfighting arenas. And there are some who have actually made an art of it, like Catalan ‘Jimmy Jump’ (more on him later) and British ‘legend’ Mark Roberts.
3. WHO GETS HURT?
Awal’s show last week was probably all fun and thrills, with only one poor officer suffering some physical discomfort and embarrassment after falling during the chase, but other infamous instances of pitch invasion have been characterized by much more aggression: Aston Villa skipper Jack Grealish getting punched from behind last season in a derby game against Birmingham City, Manchester United defender Chris Smalling being shoved by another invasive fan away at Arsenal on the same weekend of English football, etc. Clearly, not all pitch invasions end in the glory of a sweet selfie.
4. WHO GETS PUNISHED?
With Awal being hailed as a hero on social media while even in custody and paraded as one following his release on bail, it might have seemed wrong to some that the police — portrayed as villains in the drama, ironically — sought to ‘deal with’ the erring student nurse. Don’t be deceived, however; streaking, though exciting and sometimes a welcome sideshow while it lasts (provided it doesn’t interrupt a crucial run of play for your team, of course), counts as disorderly conduct and is in itself a punishable offence in most countries; assault just makes it more serious. Fines and varying spells of confinement/imprisonment aren’t uncommon, while Spaniard Jump (real name, Jaume Marquet i Cot) — aforementioned and arguably the most notorious streaker of them all — once admitted to owing “about $350,000” in unpaid fines. Heck, even the team on whose turf the act took place could be charged for negligence. So the next time you feel the urge to do ‘an Awal’, by all means, do count the cost first; the public might celebrate you, but the law likely wouldn’t.
NY Frimpong — Daily Mail GH
