The FAI have confirmed that no action will be taken against young fan Addison Whelan after she entered the field to seek Cristiano Ronaldo's shirt on Thursday night.
Shelbourne under-13 player Whelan saw her chance at the final whistle of the scoreless draw to take to the field and meet her hero and was rewarded with his match-worn shirt.
The 11-year-old was pleased as punch with the Manchester United ace's generosity but she told FM104 that she would be fined €3,000 for her pitch incursion, which her dad would happily pay.
Whelan told RTÉ's Morning Ireland: "I jumped over the barrier because I was in the second row. I jumped over the first row and over the barrier."
"Then I sprinted onto the pitch, but there was security guards running behind me and there was another two coming from the other corner so I just kept sprinting.
"Then I was just screaming Ronaldo's name. He turned around and he saw me and he was telling them to leave me.
"I was calling him over. He came over to me. I was just in shock and crying and I was like 'can I have your jersey? Please, please. I'm a big, huge fan'. He was saying are you okay?"
An FAI statement on Friday read read: "The Football Association of Ireland can confirm that young fan Addison Whelan will not face any fine for approaching Cristiano Ronaldo and receiving his shirt at the end of the Republic of Ireland-Portugal FIFA World Cup qualifier on Thursday night.
FAI Media & Football Relations Director Cathal Dervan added: “We want to reassure Addison that of course she will not face any fine for running onto the pitch and asking for Ronaldo’s jersey.
"On a serious note we would remind fans at all games that fines are liable to be levied by UEFA in certain instances for entering the field of play, particularly when the game is ongoing, and we urge all fans to respect this very sensible rule.”
