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World Cup 2010: Fan who invaded England dressing room due in court
The England fan who berated the players after wandering into the team's dressing room will appear in court today.
Published: 7:15AM BST 21 Jun 2010
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England fan Pavlos Joseph arrives at Cape Town Magistrates Court Photo: GEOFF PUGH
Pavlos Joseph, 32, from Crystal Palace, south-east London, was banned from attending future World Cup matches. He told the Sunday Mirror he was looking for a toilet after the game against Algeria when a security guard sent him in the direction of the players' tunnel.
After taking a wrong turn he found himself in the changing room where he says he told David Beckham: ''David, we've spent a lot of money getting here. This is a disgrace. What are you going to do about it?'' England's poor performance on Friday saw the team draw 0-0 with Algeria at Cape Town's Green Point Stadium.
And the country's World Cup campaign hit a further bump yesterday when former captain John Terry suggested at a press conference that players would air their grievances at a squad meeting last night. However, it was claimed the threat of mutiny against manager Fabio Capello was headed off before it gathered sufficient momentum. Joseph was arrested at his hotel yesterday and then bailed after appearing in court in Cape Town charged with trespassing.
South African Police Service spokeswoman Brigadier Sally de Beer said he was released on 500 rand bail and banned from future World Cup matches.
He is due back in court today to stand trial. A spokeswoman for the UK policing team on the ground in South Africa said a football banning order would not be pursued because the incident was not linked to violent behaviour.
Joseph appeared in one of South Africa's special World Cup courts, which were set up to deal with crimes relating to the tournament. He was arrested at about 10.30am yesterday at the Bay Hotel in Camps Bay after a police investigation in which officers analysed CCTV footage from the stadium.
The intrusion, which happened minutes after Princes William and Harry left, prompted the Football Association (FA) to make an official complaint to World Cup organisers Fifa. Police were also looking into why the man, who was hustled away by a Fifa official, was not handed over to officers. Joseph claimed he had handed his card to the official after he was escorted out of the dressing room.
Brigadier de Beer said talks between the SAPS, Fifa and the LOC (Local Organising Committee) led to ''certain tactical decisions'' being made about the deployment of security personnel within the inner perimeter of the stadiums. She said: ''Instructions in this regard have been issued to security personnel in all host cities. This is to prevent an incident of this nature from taking place during the rest of the tournament.''
Joseph, a life-long England and Manchester United supporter, told the Sunday Mirror: ''I looked David straight in the eye and said, 'David, we've spent a lot of money getting here. This is a disgrace. What are you going to do about it?'' The mortgage adviser told the newspaper that when Beckham asked him who he was, he responded: ''I'm Pavlos and I actually need the toilet.''
He said he then addressed the players, who were sitting on benches with towels around their waists. ''I told them, 'That was woeful and not good enough'. The room was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. The players' chins were on their chests - they looked pretty ashamed.'' The story is reminiscent of the ''Smithy'' sketch performed by James Corden, in which the comedian tries to encourage the players.
At an FA reception in Johannesburg on Saturday, Beckham played down the incident, saying it had been ''blown out of all proportion''. Beckham, who gave a joint interview with William and Harry, said: ''Luckily it was after the princes had left - five to 10 minutes after. Obviously it's been blown out of all proportion as well. ''The actual fan literally just walked in very casually and just said something to me and then walked out - there was no scuffle, there was no aggression at all.''
England's problems were put into perspective yesterday by further setbacks for Italy and France, the two teams that contested the 2006 final, on and off the pitch. The Italians could only manage a draw with little-fancied New Zealand leaving them with only two points and one group game to play. But things were even worse for the French whose chaotic campaign is in disarray after the players boycotted training in support of Nicolas Anelka of Chelsea, who was sent home after a row with coach Raymond Domenech.
Anelka exploded in a foul-mouthed tirade after the coach criticised him for straying out of position during the goal-less first half of their 2-0 Group A defeat by Mexico on Thursday. The 31-year-old was subsequently substituted before the start of the second half. France have drawn one and lost one and face a tough battle to qualify as they take on hosts South Africa on Tuesday.
