Champions League pitch invader 'to be paid £300k' after Mellstroy stunt

Social media influencer Mellstroy reportedly offered his followers a mega cash prize to pitch invade at the 2024 Champions League final played in London.

The match at Wembley Stadium was disrupted in the first minute when three supporters ran onto the pitch, with Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marcel Sabitzer tackling one to the ground.

But it’s claimed Mellstroy – an internet streamer – had encouraged those attending the match to storm the pitch, with £300,000 on offer for the first person to manage it.

The 25-year-old internet personality – who was born in Belarus – boasts over three million followers on Instagram and 1.8 million on TikTok.

Wembley officials were quick to react to the incident, with the official X account posting: “It is illegal to enter the field of play at Wembley Stadium, and we strongly condemn the actions of those who interrupted the UEFA Champions League Final shortly after kick-off.

“All of the individuals have now been arrested. We will support the relevant authorities to ensure appropriate action is taken.”

It comes after the FA spent big on prepping Wembley for the final, with a reported £5million spent on added security following the Euro 2020 final.

FA chiefs were keen to prove themselves on the biggest of stages following the mess from three years prior.

It’s claimed the security operation for the final was the biggest in the stadium’s history, with the previous two showpiece events in the UEFA calendar having also been marred by crowd troubles.

Security failures at the 2022 Champions League final in Paris forced the game’s kick-off time to be pushed back when Liverpool met Real Madrid.

Manchester City fans were left stranded without any transportation following last year’s clash against Inter Milan in Istanbul. 

Ahead of this year’s final, the doors on the stadium’s perimeters were updated with magnetic lock systems after ticketless fans at the Euro 2020 final ripped them off their hinges.

But it was improvements to the stadium’s CCTV that had the most money spent on them, with a ‘second security control room big enough to house around 18 officers’ installed on the premises.

The pitch invasion incident will likely raise eyebrows at UEFA, not least because of the upcoming 2028 European Championships, which are set to be held in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

It’s the first time since 1996 that England will be the main location for a tournament, with Wembley likely to host the competition’s final. 

However, following Saturday’s pitch-invasion stunt, the FA will once again have to answer questions about the security status of their venues.