It’s a disaster for UEFA, a coup for Marvin Wildhage. After less than two days, his video “Undercover as a fake mascot at the European Championship opening game” has already collected more than 1,300,000 clicks on YouTube. On Sunday evening, Wildhage published the video – and exposed the European Football Association (UEFA) to ridicule. The YouTuber managed to take part in the opening ceremony of the European Football Championship in Munich’s Allianz Arena as a false mascot with fake accreditations. In the twenty-minute video you can see him dancing on the pitch in an Albart costume and posing with legendary striker Mario Gomez. “Oh, you have a parking ticket. Well, then everything is fine.” This is not the first time that 27-year-old Wildhage has smuggled himself into areas that are inaccessible to football fans. He trained with the professionals from Hannover 96 and Hertha BSC by disguising himself as a player with the appropriate training clothes. At the end of May, he arrived at a training session for the national soccer team in Jena as a fake national player. But his latest feat has a different dimension, as it reveals major security gaps in the protection of more than 60,000 stadium visitors at the German team’s game against Scotland. Wearing an Albärt costume made in China, a fake employee ID card and a parking ticket, Wildhage passed the security guards at the stadium entrance in a black VW bus with DFB stickers. When the stewards despaired of the incorrect QR code on Wildhage’s ID card, one of them is said to have said: “Oh, you have a parking ticket. Well, then everything will be fine.” At least he appeared briefly for Germany during training: Marvin Wildhage as a fake national player on May 27, 2024 in Jenadpa. He joined the celebrations on the field with his cameraman. It was only when a UEFA employee became suspicious that the fraud was discovered. The police took Wildhage and his accomplice into custody. Previously, Wildhage had smuggled an employee into the team of helpers for the opening ceremony. There would have been chaotic conditions and poor working conditions. UEFA promised the helpers that they could watch the opening game in the stadium, but did not keep this. A senior employee gave Wildhage and his assistant two access passes without checking their identities after many helpers stopped showing up for work.Wildhage: UEFA threatened to take actionWildhage’s action is now causing a stir. “The incident must be followed up quickly and consistently,” said Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU). “Access controls are the sole responsibility of EURO 2024 GmbH as the organizer. The Bavarian police were not involved in the YouTuber’s entry.”In fact, entry control is the responsibility of the organizer. The Munich police are responsible for security in the city and at the stadium. “We are usually only called in at the entrance if we are notified, for example of a violent person,” says the spokesman for the Munich Police Headquarters, Werner Kraus. “Of course we are not enthusiastic about the story. Only people who have a ticket or are appropriately accredited should come to the stadium.” The organizers have been “strongly sensitized” to carry out the strict access controls reliably, according to the Interior Ministry. External content from YouTube In order to display external content, your revocable consent is required. Personal data from third-party platforms (possibly USA) may be processed. Additional Information . Activate external content EURO 2024 GmbH is responsible for security in the stadiums. The DFB and UEFA joint venture based in Frankfurt was founded in 2020 to organize the tournament. At that time, tournament director Philipp Lahm said: “A big competition needs a professional foundation.” But Wildhage’s video casts doubt on the professionalism. UEFA appears at the request of the F.A.Z. reserved. The incident can be confirmed. When asked why you can get into security-relevant zones with a fake parking permit, you don’t want to give any information. “UEFA has evaluated the situation and initiated the necessary organizational measures.” Three people were banned from entering the stadiums.More on the topic Marvin Wildhage also does not want to comment because of the ongoing proceedings against him. According to his statement, UEFA threatened him with action if he broadcast the footage. The Munich public prosecutor’s office confirms investigations against him. Two 27-year-old men from Lower Saxony and Berlin were reported for trespassing, obtaining benefits by fraud and forging documents. The fake accreditations, recording devices and the fake Albärt costume were confiscated.
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