Portugal boss Roberto Martinez has called for an end to "dangerous" pitch invasions for spectators hoping for photographs with superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
Five people made it on to the pitch during his side's 3-0 win over Turkey in Dortmund, and Martinez does not want a repeat as they bring their Group F campaign to a close against Georgia in Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday evening.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, the Spaniard said: "He’s a very experienced player, he’s been with the team for over 20 years. He knows the kind of support fans provide, but not just Portugal fans, football fans.
"I hope there won’t be any pitch invasions. This is dangerous and it’s not good for football, it’s not a part of the game that we want to see."
Martinez, who confirmed that 39-year-old skipper Ronaldo and keeper Diogo Costa will start the game, insisted Portugal would be targeting victory even though top spot in the group has already been secured with the Georgians, the Czech Republic and Turkey battling it out for qualification.
He said: "It’s important to maintain the integrity of the Euros. It’s a very important game because this result will be crucial to determine who qualifies and who doesn’t."
Georgia boss Willy Sagnol used his pre-match press conference to hit back at claims that he has left striker Budu Zivzivadze out of his starting line-up because of the player’s reported criticism of controversial "foreign influence" legislation in the former Soviet republic.
A bristling Sagnol said: "It’s funny because I remember six or seven months ago I was insulted by a big amount of people when I was putting (Georges) Mikautadze on the bench and when I was letting Budu play, and now I’m insulted every day by some t*** – and I can say it, I say it again, t*** – because of absolutely no football reasons, and I can’t accept that any longer.
"I’m a football coach, I’m nothing else and that it’s clear for everyone, who plays and who doesn’t play, it’s my entire decision."
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
