The conman, the Champions League final, and how the king jibber was brought down

New York Times

a day ago

Posing for photographs with supermodel Naomi Campbell and world boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk, serial blagger Stephen Carruthers seemed to be having the time of his life.
Carruthers had been able to bypass a 'ring of steel' security operation, put in place by the Football Association, to sneak his way into the 2024 Champions League final at Wembley and watch Real Madrid defeat Borussia Dortmund.
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The 34-year-old had travelled more than 200 miles from Hull, east Yorkshire, to con his way inside, dressed in a suit and tie, for a night of five-star treatment in the VIP section.
Today, though, his lifestyle as a self-confessed 'jibber' — the nickname for people entering a stadium without paying — caught up with him in front of a judge, who ordered him to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and sentenced him to a 12-month community order.
In what is understood to be the first court action of its kind, the FA launched a private prosecution under Section 11 of the 2006 Fraud Act to bring him to justice.
Carruthers pleaded guilty in March to a charge of obtaining services dishonestly and had been warned at a follow-up hearing, directing sentencing to Harrow Crown Court, London, that he might face a prison sentence. Instead, he will serve time behind bars only if he re-offends.
'As the operator of Wembley Stadium, it is incumbent on the FA to take steps to ensure that 'jibbing' does not happen,' the FA said in a statement. 'The FA therefore prosecuted Mr Carruthers as part of a crackdown on unauthorised entry to the stadium and to serve as a deterrent to anyone else minded to copy (him).'
Carruthers has previously pretended to be part of the actor Leonardo DiCaprio's entourage to get a ringside seat for the 'fight of the century' between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in 2015.
Having blagged his way into MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, he posed for pictures with U.S. President Donald Trump and mingled with a host of Hollywood A-listers including Christian Bale, Michael Keaton and Paris Hilton.
Five years ago, he donned a black tie and managed to gain entry to a BAFTA party, where he posed for photos with Helen Mirren, Elton John and Quentin Tarantino.
For Wembley, his plan was nothing more sophisticated than using a trick that had, by his own admission, helped him sneak into England's national stadium to see Gareth Southgate's team beat Germany in Euro 2020's round of 16, held in June 2021 due to the pandemic.
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That trick was to mingle with a group of genuine ticket holders, pretending to be part of the same group, and follow them into the entrance to Club Wembley — the section reserved for VIPs who are wined and dined in private boxes overlooking the pitch.
Carruthers dressed up like a businessman, a previous hearing was told, for extra authenticity. He had his four-year-old son with him, which added to his look of respectability, and he then settled in for a Champagne buffet before finding seats to watch the game. The FA estimate that a top-tier VIP package for two people would have ordinarily cost a minimum of £21,800.
His story ended up being a major embarrassment, therefore, to the sport's governing body, especially when he made the considerable mistake of boasting about his actions in an interview with the Daily Mail, apparently receiving £1,000 from the newspaper in return.
'I've done this so many times before I thought I'd give it a go and try the Champions League final,' Carruthers told the newspaper. 'It was quite simple. … No one said anything.'
He was not stopped or asked if he had a ticket as he entered, and simply made his way into the VIP area where he took a seat and enjoyed a pre-match meal. There, Carruthers said in the same interview, he found himself alongside former Milan and Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko, Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri, and former world player of the year Kaka.
'To get the sort of access I got would cost about £10,000,' he added. 'It was a great night. I've done this many times, but this is my last time and what a way to go out.'
In hindsight, however, Carruthers might now regret his decision to elaborate on his exploits in a national newspaper, especially when the FA was already highly sensitive about security at Wembley following the serious crowd disorder when more than 2,000 ticketless fans stormed into the stadium for the Euro 2020 final between England and Italy.
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'The devastating events of that day are why they (the FA) take offences such as this seriously,' prosecutor Rachna Gokani told the court at a previous hearing. 'There are real risks in terms of disorder, health and safety, and the status of the stadium.'
Did it warrant the threat of a prison sentence? Carruthers argued that it did not. 'I think it's excessive, I've not hurt anyone,' he told the previous hearing, having been warned that he could face up to three years behind bars.
The FA, however, has spent considerable money on trying to make an example out of Carruthers.
'Attempted security breaches at Wembley Stadium on the day of the UEFA Champions League final in 2024 caused significant health and safety risks, and negatively impacted the experience of legitimate ticket holders attending the event,' read the FA's statement. 'The FA will continue to take action against 'jibbers', such as Mr Carruthers, to ensure the safety of fans coming to Wembley Stadium.'
Desperate to avoid another security embarrassment, the FA had mounted a £5million operation for the Champions League final, including enhanced ticket checks and an increased number of stewards, to stop anyone who should not be there from gaining entry.
Nonetheless, the police arrested 53 people on the night for trying to get in illegally.
Gokani told the court that Carruthers chose to 'advertise his offending' in the Daily Mail and had been 'essentially boasting about gaining entry… boasting precisely that he met Naomi Campbell and the heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk and other celebrities'.
When Carruthers was interviewed by a probation officer before the April hearing, the feedback was that he had shown 'no shame or remorse and was clearly proud of what he had accomplished'.
As well as being made to carry out community service, Carruthers was also ordered to pay £1,000 compensation to the FA — the same sum, according to the governing body, that 'he was paid by the Daily Mail for his account of how he broke into Wembley stadium to attend the match'.
(Top photos: Getty Images)