Simon Brodkin, a British comedian and prankster, threw a wad of fake money at FIFA President Sepp Blatter during a press conference in Zurich on Monday in which the soccer organization announced the date for its next presidential election in the wake of its pervasive corruption scandals.
As Blatter took the stage to field questions about the upcoming elections to select his successor, an uninvited and unannounced Brodkin, also known by his stage name Lee Nelson, gatecrashed the press conference and
sidled onto the stage, according to the Bleacher Report.
Brodkin somehow managed to avoid FIFA’s specialist security force before walking calmly up to the stage and standing
before a stunned Blatter, according to the Daily Mail. As Swiss police belatedly began to whisk Brodkin away, he flung a fistful of fake dollars at Blatter, shouting that they were to go towards the first installment of North Korea’s bid for the 2026 World Cup.
Brodkin was arrested for trespassing, and a spokesman for the Zurich City Police Department said, “We arrested this man and he was interrogated and released yesterday. He will be charged for trespassing because he wasn't allowed to enter the building. If there will be a trial is still to be decided by the prosecutor. Trespassing is in Switzerland just prosecuted by
request like other minor crimes,” according to the Press Association.
This is not the first time that Brodkin has shown up at an event without an invitation: during rapper Kanye West’s Glastonbury headline set, Brodkin crashed the stage before being removed by security, according to the Press Association.
Blatter returned to the stage 10 minutes after Brodkin was whisked away and the dollars had been swept up, according to the Daily Mail. Blatter continued the press conference and talked about FIFA’s future in the wake of his departure, as well as the possibility that Michel Platini, UEFA’s president, might be his successor. Platini is expected to make up his mind over the next month.
“This is an exciting time for FIFA because we can work together to improve it and restructure it for the good of the game,” Platini said, according to the Daily Mail. “Regarding the election, we now have a concrete date which means we can look forward to new leadership which will surely bring with it new ideas and new solutions.”
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