Granada vs Manchester United streaker hid for 14 hours before match

‘The Naked Man of Granada’ Olmo Garcia avoided security and Covid protocols to hide beneath a canvas

Olmo Garcia, named by local media as ‘The Naked Man of Granada’ (AFP via Getty Images)

The streaker who ran onto the pitch as Granada hosted Manchester United in the Europa League on Thursday night avoided security and Covid-19 protocols to sneak into the stadium 14 hours before kick-off.

Olmo Garcia, named by local media as ‘The Naked Man of Granada’, is well-known in the Andalusian city and often walks through public areas without sporting any clothes.

On Thursday, the 37-year-old’s reputation grew as he somehow disrupted the behind-closed-doors fixture at the Los Carmenes stadium, avoiding all security and coronavirus protocols in doing so.

Garcia ran onto the pitch in the 10th minute, throwing himself to the floor and rolling around before being escorted away by police.

“He made it onto the pitch from underneath a large canvas, where he was hidden,” the police said.

“The man made it into the stadium at 7am after getting through the security perimeter located between the stadium and the Palacio de Deportes building, where it is clear he spent the next 14 hours hidden under the canvas in order to not be seen until he decided to make his move.”

United defeated Granada 2-0 in the quarter-final first leg, with Marcus Rashford opening the scoring before a Bruno Fernandes penalty sealed the result in the last minute.

Reuters