Ronaldo appeals for fan arrested for hug

Real Madrid soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo is
appealing to Florida officials to drop charges
against an over-enthusiastic fan who was
arrested during a match after rushing the field
to embrace him.
Ronaldo, one of the world's highest-paid
athletes handled the incident calmly during a
match in Miami in August, even chatting with
the 19-year-old fan, and telling security
officials to take it easy on him before he was
carted away.
The Portuguese striker is now asking
prosecutors to drop charges against Ronald
Gjoka, a Canadian student who faces two
counts of disorderly conduct and trespassing
as a result of the incident in front of 70 000
fans during an International Champions Cup
match in Miami between Real Madrid and
Chelsea.
"I was playing at Sun Life Stadium last month
when a fan entered the field," Ronaldo wrote
in a hand-signed letter sent to the prosecutor.
"We hugged, and we spoke for a while, until
security arrived to escort him off the field. He
was not aggressive or violent in ANY way," he
went on, before explaining his concern that
Gjoka could face immigration problems if the
misdemeanor charges are not dismissed.
"I understand your position and the
importance of enforcing rules and laws.
However, I respectfully request that you and
your office reconsider this decision and
dismiss the two criminal charges this young
man faces," he added.
Gjoka, who attends Palm Beach State
Community College, spent a night and most of
the next day in jail after the hug.
The letter was sent from Ronaldo's attorneys in
Portugal after Gjoka's attorney, Richard Hujber
of Boynton Beach, contacted them a few weeks
after the incident.
Gjoka is a longtime Ronaldo fan and was
wearing a No.7 Ronaldo shirt when he ran
onto the field after his 28-year-old idol scored
two goals.
"He made my day. I grew up up fatherless and
I have looked up to Ronaldo all my life," Gjoka
told Reuters. "My adrenalin was running. I just
said to myself 'go for it. See if you can jump
the barrier and give him a hug.'"
Gjoka ran across the field and did a knee-slide,
immitating Ronaldo's traditional goal-scoring
celebration. "I stood up and he greeted me and
I told him 'Ronaldo, thank you for making my
life complete.'"
The crowd sensed Ronaldo was not perturbed
by the incident and cheered during the hug,
which lasted almost a minute as the pair
chatted.
Hujber said Gjoka, who had never been
arrested before, realises he made a mistake,
but believes he has paid a big enough penalty
already after ending up in jail.
Hujber was hoping to get the charges dropped
during a court hearing September 9.
"Unfortunately they haven't at this point been
willing to consider that," he said.
Ronaldo's letter arrived three days after that
hearing.
"Although Mr. Ronaldo's letter is very nice, it
probably has no bearing on the case because it
is Sun Life Stadium that is the victim in this
case and they are the entity pressing charges,"
said Terry Gonzalez-Chavez, a spokeswoman
for the state attorney's office in Miami.
Sun Life Stadium, home of the NFL's Miami
Dolphins, did not immediately respond to a
phone call seeking comment, but stadium
spokesman Jason Jenkins told The Miami
Herald:
"Generally speaking, these laws are in place to
protect the safety of the participants, coaches
and sideline personnel by discouraging fans
from running onto the field during the course
of games."