Police have confirmed that the man who ran onto the pitch during Granada’s Europa League clash with Manchester United avoided security and Covid-19 protocols by hiding under a tarp for 14 hours before kickoff.
The streaker ran onto the field naked during the 10th minute of Thursday’s match, throwing himself onto the field before being apprehended by police.
He has since been identified as Olmo Garcia, known by locals as “The Naked Man of Granada” due to his reputation for walking through public areas without any clothes.
What did police have to say?
“He made it onto the pitch from underneath a large canvas, where he was hidden,” the local police said in a statement.
“The man made it into the stadium at 7am after getting through the security perimeter located between the stadium and the Palacio de Deportes building, where it is clear he spent the next 14 hours hidden under the canvas in order to not be seen until he decided to make his move.”
The match itself
After the disruption, Manchester United went on to score two goals in what was their away leg, giving the Premier League side a huge advantage heading into the second leg at Old Trafford.
Marcus Rashford opened the scoring in the 31st minute, with Bruno Fernandes converting yet another penalty kick in the game’s dying moments to seal the 2-0 win.
The two teams will face off again in Manchester next Thursday, with Man Utd set to take on Tottenham on Sunday ahead of that Europa League quarter-final clash.
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