Getty Image
The 2024 edition of the Euros kicked off in Germany over the weekend, and anyone who wanted to attend the opening match had to fork over the American equivalent of a few hundred dollars to get inside the stadium.
One YouTuber ultimately spent significantly more than that as part of an elaborate scheme to infiltrate the grounds, and he probably should’ve opted for a slightly more straightforward approach when you consider he ended up on the receiving end of a ban issued by UEFA after his spot got blown up.
The EURO 2024 tournament officially got underway when Germany and Scotland faced off at Allianz Arena on June 14th in a match where the squad representing the country hosting the event walked away with a 5-1 victory.
Prior to the game, a German YouTuber named Marvin Wildhage hatched a plan to gain entry to the stadium that centered around him dressing up as Albärt, the teddy bear mascot that serves as the official mascot of EURO 2024.
He initially dropped €400 (~$430) to have a costume produced by a company in China, but after it failed to come close to living up to expectations, he spent €3,200 (~$3,430) for one he felt could convincingly pass as the real, actual mascot.
Wildhage also turned to social media to whip up a pass that resembled the ones handed out to people who were given official access to the tournament and had an accomplice infiltrate practice sessions for the opening ceremony to gain some more valuable intel.
On the day of the match, he hopped in the back of a Volkswagon van covered in decals designed to make it blend in with sanctioned vehicles, and while their credentials raised some eyebrows with the security team welcoming people in the venue, they were ultimately permitted to enter.
Wildhage was ultimately able to make it onto the pitch, but he was eventually escorted off of it after officials realized something was amiss. According to ABC News, he (and a couple of people tasked with filming him) were detained and processed before being released after being informed they were banned from stepping foot inside any stadium hosting a EURO 2024 game for the remainder of the competition.
At the end of the video embedded above, Wildhage said a UEFA official promised to take legal action if he published footage of the stunt, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see if the organization stays true to its word.