MIAMI — Inter Miami and Toronto FC were locked in a scoreless tie at the 86-minute mark last Saturday, both teams desperate to find the back of the net, when suddenly, during stoppage for a free kick, a young fan in a No. 10 Barcelona jersey jumped over a BMO Field barrier and sprinted onto the field in hopes of getting a selfie with Lionel Messi.

He was intercepted a few feet from the Argentine star by Messi’s speedy, vigilant bodyguard, Yassine Chueko, who had been watching like a hawk from the corner flag and outraced the kid to the center circle.

Messi, a magnet for pitch invaders throughout his career, walked over to the young fan, briefly shook his hand and allowed him to take the photo before Chueko and stadium security escorted him off the field as fans cheered.

Two adult fans then tried their luck, but Chueko, security guards and police officers made sure they got nowhere near Messi.

After the third pitch invasion of the game, the stadium public address announcer warned that any fan who runs onto the field would be indefinitely banned from all MLSE venues, which include Scotiabank Arena, home of the Toronto Raptors and Maple Leafs.

Field invaders of all ages have disrupted Inter Miami home and road games since Messi’s arrival in the Summer of 2023. Chueki has spent more minutes on the field than some players on the roster. While some may believe the culprits are just overzealous fans pulling harmless pranks, the club, Major League Soccer and the State of Florida have made it clear that trespassing onto the field is no joking matter.

It can create dangerous situations for players, coaches, staff, and it disrupts the game. The Toronto game was delayed two minutes at a critical stage because of the antics of the pitch invaders.

Inter Miami, whose star-filled roster requires beefed-up security home and away, has strict penalties for field invasion, including a ban for a minimum of a year from MLS stadiums.

The MLS Fan Code of Conduct prohibits “Entering or attempting to enter the field, the field track, the tunnel, or any other location other than that permitted by the fan’s ticket.” Any fan who violates that rule may be subject to penalty including, but not limited to, ejection without refund, loss of ticket privileges for future games and revocation of season tickets.

In addition, interfering with a sports or entertainment event is a criminal offense in the State of Florida.

The Florida law, titled “Interference with Sporting or Entertainment Events,” went into effect Oct. 1, 2023.

In previous incidents where a person interfered with a public event, they could face charges for trespassing. But there was no enhanced penalty for a defendant who trespassed or committed any other criminal offense specifically at an athletic competition or entertainment event.

Under the new law, it is prohibited to intentionally touch or strike a covered participant (athlete, coach, referee, security personnel, entertainer) during an event against the will of the covered participant, or intentionally cause bodily harm to a covered participant during a covered event; or willfully enter or remain in a restricted area during a covered event without being authorized, licensed, or invited to enter or remain in such a restricted area.

Violating the law can result in a person facing either misdemeanor or felony charges.

An individual who willfully enters and remains in a covered event, or who intentionally touches or strikes any specified person at a covered event faces a first-degree misdemeanor with a maximum fine up to $2,500 and up to one year in jail.

An individual who solicits another person, or pays or encourages another person, to violate any of the above provisions faces a third-degree felony. The penalties for a third-degree felony conviction carry up to a $5,000 fine and up to five years in prison.

If the field intruder is a juvenile, parents are ejected and charged, as well. If it is a foreign national, this could affect future applications for Visas and Green Cards.

Stadium officials around the world have also been strict when it comes to pitch invasions.

An 18-year-old Messi fan in China was placed in “administrative detention” and banned from entering a stadium for 12 months after running onto the field and trying to meet his hero during a June 2023 Argentina friendly against Australia in Beijing.

Before Inter Miami’s game against Mexican club Monterrey earlier this year, fans were warned: “Anyone who decides to enter the field of play illegally, will be immediately ejected from the stadium. Their personal details will be reported to the authorities and their access to all Mexican Soccer stadiums in the first division will be suspended,”

Dealing with pitch invaders is nothing new for Messi, and he handles it with poise.

In February 2013, during an Argentina friendly match in Sweden, a pitch invader wearing a Barcelona shirt and ski cap went up to his hero, grabbed him by the head and planted a kiss on his forehead before being led away by stadium security. Messi shrugged it off and carried on with the game.

During a January 2016 La Liga match in Spain, Messi was celebrating with teammate Luis Suarez (who is also his teammate at Inter Miami) after a Barcelona victory at Malaga, and a young fan ran up to Messi and asked for his shirt. He obliged.

In June 2016, during an Argentina vs Panama Copa America match at Soldier Field in Chicago, a pitch invader tried to meet Messi but was tackled by security and taken away with his hands tied behind his back. As the fan was being escorted off the field, Messi approached him and gave him a hug.

In April this year, during added time of Inter Miami’s 2-2 tie with the Colorado Rapids, a young girl who had traveled from Orlando sprinted onto the Chase Stadium field from behind the south goal and was able to snap a selfie with Messi before security escorted her off. Despite facing repercussions, she posted on social media, calling the encounter with Messi “the best day of my life.”

Messi addressed the issue of pitch invaders during a 2022 interview with Ole. He said: “The issue was happening a lot lately, in some I got a scare like in the last match of the national team [with Honduras in Miami] when the security came and even hit me. But hey, generally they are very nice signs of affection and for someone to do something like that with all that it means, and so crazy and what they do knowing what can happen to them later.

“Apart from that, you don’t know what to do, how are the security going to act? Sometimes they come aggressive, and it doesn’t take that much either. But yes, they are uncomfortable moments for everyone.”

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