FIR Filed Against Kerala Football Fan For Hugging Joao Felix; Selfie With Al-Nassr Star Deleted

Joao Felix obliged the fan with a selfie. (Picture Credit: X/AlNassrFC_EN)

A Kerala football fan had his moment in the sun for hugging and clicking a selfie with Portugal football star Joao Felix during Al-Nassr’s AFC Champions League Two clash with FC Goa at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda (Goa) recently. However, he soon had to spend a night in jail for entering a restricted area and endangering lives of two international players.

An FIR has been filed against the fan as he skipped past the security to get into close proximity with the Portuguese forward who ended up obliging him with a selfie. However, according to The Times of India, the selfie was deleted from his phone.

“We have registered a case and issued a notice,” SP South Goa, Tikam Singh Verma, told the publication. “We filed the FIR but arrest was not needed in this case. We took him into custody after he ran on the field. He was at the police station till the time a case was registered and formalities completed.”

The fan, who calls himself a fan of the Portuguese football team, jumped over a fence during the second half with Felix warming up in the sidelines before being escorted away by the security.

FC Goa CEO Ravi Puskur acknowledged the incident, terming it a security failure.

“Despite an elevated police presence, a fan managed to cross the pitch and enter the ground. This was a clear security failure,” Puskur wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

FC Goa To Be Fined?

Meanwhile, FC Goa, the hosts of the group clash which they lost 1-2, are expected to be punished for the incident with Asian Football Confederation (AFC) set to impose a fine of USD 10,0000 (Rs 8.8 lakh approx.) on the club.

This will not be the first time that the club is facing disciplinary action on account of fans’ conduct. In September FC Goa was fined after fans used a smoke gun in the stadium.

The result extended FC Goa’s losing run in the competition to three matches while Al Nassr extended their winning streak to three matches.