Euro 2020 streaker: Final pitch invader Adam Harison is singer-songwriter who competed on Little Mix’s The Search

Musician brought the tense game to a temporary halt as he was chased around the pitch by security

The shirtless man who invaded the pitch at Wembley Stadium during the Euro 2020 final was a contestant on Little Mix’s reality show, The Search, it has emerged.

Singer-songwriter Adam Harison was seen evading security to run around the pitch on Sunday 11 July, bringing the tense game between Italy and England to a temporary halt.

He was eventually tackled by security and dragged back off the pitch, allowing play to resume.

Harison later confirmed he was the pitch invader in a post on Instagram.

“At the end of the day…. I love my country and I did this all for a good time. Nothing but love and respect for England tonight. BIG LOVE PEOPLE,” he wrote in the caption, alongside a photo of him being held by security.

He also shared a clip of the moment on his Instagram Story, writing: “Well that was fun.”

Harison previously appeared on Little Mix’s TV show The Search, in which the girl group set out to form a band that could support them on tour.

Harison was placed in the group New Priority.

While his post had received 14,000 likes at the time of writing, not everyone was impressed by his antics.

“You think that’s funny?” one critic wrote in his Instagram comments, while another pointed out: “You literally stopped the match.”

England were defeated by Italy during a penalty shootout, leaving the team and their supporters heartbroken.

A number of celebrities have posted messages of support, including Adele, Tom Felton and Liam Gallagher.

Good Morning Britain host Richard Madeley has also condemned racist abuse against England players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, after they missed their penalties against Italy.