Kushanashvili Recalls Pitch Invasion at Euro 2004.

5 hours ago7 min read6 comments

The chaotic theatre of international football has witnessed countless pitch invaders, but few with the audacious rationale of Otar Kushanashvili, the Russian media personality whose spontaneous sprint onto the field during Portugal versus Russia at Euro 2004 remains a legendary, if bizarre, footnote in tournament history. Recalling the incident with the unfiltered passion of a true football obsessive, Kushanashvili didn't just breach security for notoriety; he did so with the specific, volatile intent to confront the match official following the controversial sending-off of Russian goalkeeper Sergei Ovchinnikov.In his own raw account, he admits his goal was singular and visceral: 'I wanted to hit the referee and tell him he was a p***k,' framing his actions not as hooliganism but as a desperate, misguided protest against a Russian team that 'didn't play,' placing the blame squarely on the man in the middle. The sheer impulsivity is staggering—he came within a single step of his target before being intercepted by what he describes as 'royal guards,' a moment of high-stakes farce that underscores the thin line between passionate fandom and outright anarchy in the beautiful game.The ensuing chaos yielded an unintentional, almost poetic moment of sportsmanship: a fleeting, confused handshake with Portuguese legend Luís Figo, a player Kushanashvili claims he didn't even recognize at the time, a detail that only adds to the surreal nature of the entire episode. His memory also captures a wide-eyed, young Cristiano Ronaldo, then at his first major international tournament, witnessing the madness—a moment Kushanashvili now jests provided the 'impulse' for the superstar's career, suggesting Ronaldo saw his 'sprint' and thought, 'B****, I need to learn to run like that!' The consequences were severe and swift: a ten-day stint in a Portuguese jail, a subsequent court appearance that was saved by a football-fan judge who delivered the killer line, 'I saw both of Russia's matches [at Euro 2004].You are the only one from Russia who was running!' This darkly humorous absolution came with a heavy price—a ten-year ban from entering the European Union, a sanction Kushanashvili claims he has respected, stating he hasn't traveled since and doesn't plan to. Yet, in a final twist that reveals the unrepentant core of his character, he insists he would do it all over again, a statement that speaks to the enduring, often irrational, and fiercely personal connection individuals can have with their national team, a force powerful enough to compel a man to risk everything for a fleeting, furious moment in the spotlight.

#featured

#Otar Kushanashvili

#Euro 2004

#pitch invasion

#Russia national team

#Sergey Ovchinnikov

#Luis Figo

#court case