Cristiano Ronaldo has come to the defense of Ronald Gjoka, a fan who ran onto the field and embraced Ronaldo at a game in Florida The encounter with the fan came during the final of the Guinness International Champions Cup against Chelesa over the summer. The fan, was Ronald Gjoka, a 20-year-old college student and resident of Canada who was born in Albania. Gjoka had jumped the advertising boards and rushed to Ronaldo; the two embraced and shared an intimate chat on the field. While most professional athletes are loath to encourage interlopers when they invade fields of play, Ronaldo stood calmly and listened to Gjoka before he was escorted off the field by security personnel. The young man spent nearly three days in jail after the incident before he was charged. Gjoka apologized to tournament and stadium officials, and to Ronaldo, but he still faces trespassing charges in Florida after failing to get the charges dismissed early last week. The Spanish sports daily Marca published the text of the letter written by Ronaldo to the judge and prosecutor in Florida pleading for leniency for Gjoka: My name is Cristiano Ronaldo and I play for Real Madrid. I was playing in Sun Life Stadium when a fan entered the field. His name is Ronald Gjoka, a young college student. 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. What’s more, he did not put up any resistance when the security guards and police arrived. As I understand it, he has admitted his mistake and understands the importance of security. He is a young man of twenty who grew up without a father and was raised by a single mother. He attends Palm Beach State Community College, Florida, with an international student grant. I am concerned because I understand he may face problems with immigration and with his college if the criminal charges against him are not dropped. He was immediately taken to the Stadium’s security area and then spent a day and a half in jail. It seems he appeared before a judge on Monday accompanied by his attorney who asked for the charges to be dropped, but you chose to ignore his appeal. 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. I would hate to see him face criminal charges for his mistake. By all accounts he has a bright future ahead of him and I’d hate to see this future ruined by an error of judgement. Thank you. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me directly at any time. Sincerely, Cristiano Ronaldo
Posted on: Mon, 21 Oct 2013 05:10:42 +0000
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