Ticketless Irish fan sneaks into game, ends up in Estonia's bench
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A ticketless Republic of Ireland fan successfully bluffed his way into last Friday night's Euro 2012 play-off game in Estonia before taking up the seat right next to the home team's coach.
Conor Cunningham from Cork managed to get into Tallin's A Le Coq Arena after he put on an Estonian tracksuit and passed through security.
The part-time fitness instructor was outside the stadium for the first leg of the play-off. Unwilling to pay the ridiculous prices being quoted by Estonian touts, he decided to wander in, hoping there might another door inside which could lead him in.
He told the Irish Independent: "It was a corridor and a dead end. But I did see a bag of footballs and, when I picked them up, spotted an Estonian tracksuit underneath them."
The 27-year-old put the tracksuit on over his jeans and Ireland top and then headed back to the main entrance with the bag of footballs over his shoulder, where security staff calmly waved him though.
He continued: "I didn't know what to do, to be honest, so I thought I'd better go into the Estonian dug-out.
"No one said anything to me and then I realised I was sitting beside their manager (Tarmo Ruutli).
"It was about 10 or 15 minutes into the match when a UEFA official got suspicious of me. He came over and, after talking to me, told me I had to move."
After the UEFA official made him move from the Estonia dugout, Conor then moved into the stands for the rest of the game.
But at the final whistle, Conor picked up his trusty ball bag and headed onto the pitch to celebrate with the Irish players.
The ruse finally came undone when an Estonian official became suspicious as to why someone in one of their tracksuits was celebrating so enthusiastically about Ireland's qualification.
Conor added: "She came over to me and started talking to me and I just said I had to bring the bag of footballs back."
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| Conor Cunningham sneaks into Republic of Ireland's game by donning Estonia tracksuit Photo: YouTube |
Conor Cunningham from Cork managed to get into Tallin's A Le Coq Arena after he put on an Estonian tracksuit and passed through security.
The part-time fitness instructor was outside the stadium for the first leg of the play-off. Unwilling to pay the ridiculous prices being quoted by Estonian touts, he decided to wander in, hoping there might another door inside which could lead him in.
He told the Irish Independent: "It was a corridor and a dead end. But I did see a bag of footballs and, when I picked them up, spotted an Estonian tracksuit underneath them."
The 27-year-old put the tracksuit on over his jeans and Ireland top and then headed back to the main entrance with the bag of footballs over his shoulder, where security staff calmly waved him though.
He continued: "I didn't know what to do, to be honest, so I thought I'd better go into the Estonian dug-out.
"No one said anything to me and then I realised I was sitting beside their manager (Tarmo Ruutli).
"It was about 10 or 15 minutes into the match when a UEFA official got suspicious of me. He came over and, after talking to me, told me I had to move."
After the UEFA official made him move from the Estonia dugout, Conor then moved into the stands for the rest of the game.
But at the final whistle, Conor picked up his trusty ball bag and headed onto the pitch to celebrate with the Irish players.
The ruse finally came undone when an Estonian official became suspicious as to why someone in one of their tracksuits was celebrating so enthusiastically about Ireland's qualification.
Conor added: "She came over to me and started talking to me and I just said I had to bring the bag of footballs back."
Also see:
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- Soccer coach tells fans: If you don't like it, don't fu**ing come!
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