Member of Real Madrid security staff charged with common assault

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A member of Real Madrid’s security staff has been charged with common assault after a confrontation with a steward at Wembley Stadium.

Maria Hernandez, 52, is due to appear at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday June 18 over an incident during the football Champions League final on Saturday.

According to the Daily Mirror, a dispute arose when stadium staff would not allow some players’ family members on to the pitch to celebrate after Real Madrid won.

This followed disruption caused by a separate pitch invasion shortly after kick-off.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: “Maria Hernandez, 52, of Madrid, Spain, has been charged with common assault and will appear at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday June 18.

“The charge relates to an incident at the Champions League final on Saturday June 1 where Hernandez, who is a member of Real Madrid security staff, is alleged to have assaulted a steward during an altercation at Wembley.”

Yevhenii Lubnenko, 29, David Carneckij, 28, and a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were charged over the pitch invasion.

Lubnenko appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, where he was banned from football matches in the UK for three years.

The court heard that he tried to invade the pitch to get £250,000 from a Russian blogger who had put the money up for a stunt.

Police arrested 53 people during the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund at the weekend.

A series of security upgrades were made at Wembley in the wake of chaotic scenes during the Euro 2020 final, which took place in 2021 due to the pandemic, when thousands of ticketless fans stormed the venue.