Portugal ask UEFA to improve security at Euro 2024 as fans invade pitch to take picture with Cristiano Ronaldo - Reports

The Portuguese football federation have formally requested UEFA to improve security at EURO 2024 after multiple fans invaded the pitch to take a selfie with Cristiano Ronaldo. The incidents occurred in Portugal's comfortable 3-0 win over Turkiye on June 22, which secured their spot in the knockout stages.

According to British weekly The Times, the federation wrote to European football's governing authority on Sunday, the day after their side's victory. The letter detailed their request to provide more protection to players amid a sudden rise in pitch invasions.

Ronaldo patiently smiled and posed for a selfie with a 10-year-old boy who was the first to invade the pitch. However, he slowly lost his cool as five more fans evaded the stewards and made it onto the field of play.

Since Portugal's plea, UEFA have announced that the security measures will be ramped up for the remainder of the tournament. A spokesperson for the organization said (via GOAL):

"Safety and security in the stadium, on the pitch and at team facilities are the ultimate priority for UEFA, DFB and EURO 2024 GmbH. To this end, additional safety measures will be deployed in the stadiums to further meet the requirements of the tournament, and to prevent such incidents."

While the spokesperson did not detail the specifics of the improved security measures, they reminded fans attending the games of the punishments that will be handed out for such incidents.

"As a reminder, any incursion onto the pitch constitutes a breach of the stadium rules and will result in expulsion from the stadium, a ban from all tournament matches and the filing of a formal criminal complaint for trespass," they said.

"I just made my dream come true" - 10-year-old boy reacts after clicking selfie with Cristiano Ronaldo

The 10-year-old boy, who evaded all the pitch-side stewards and managed to get a selfie with Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, said that it was a 'dream come true'.

During a small halt in the second half of Portugal's 3-0 win over Turkiye at Dortmund's Westfalenstadion, Berat, wearing the tracksuit of his youth team, rushed onto the pitch. The Al-Nassr forward welcomed him with a smile and posed for the picture, before the boy took off for the stands, successfully evading two more guards.

Berat, who plays for KSV Hessen Kassel's youth side about 160 kilometres away from Dortmund, spoke to German newspaper Bild after the incident. He said:

"I just made my dream come true. Now I have a photo with Cristiano Ronaldo. It's going on a T-shirt and up in my room... I don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight now... No one believed I would actually do it."

Up next, Ronaldo will lead Portugal against EURO debutants Georgia on June 26 at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen.