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Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
National
Craig Williams

Young Rangers fan catches Seville match ball from Kemar Roofe and security guard swipes it

A young Rangers fan has been left 'heartbroken' after a Europa League final ball was taken off him by an overzealous steward following the game.

Charlie Ellis, 11, a native of Cambuslang, attended the game at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán stadium in Seville with mum Lindsay to cheer on his beloved team as they faced off against Eintracht Frankfurt.

After the Ibrox side fell to defeat on penalties, Rangers striker Kemar Roofe kicked one of the match balls into the stand for the Primary 6 pupil to take home with him as a memento.

However, the youngster's delight at receiving the ball was short-lived after the security guard promptly took the ball from him as he sat in the stand.

READ MORE: Giovanni van Bronckhorst hints at Rangers changes as he hails Scottish Cup win

Speaking to Glasgow Live, mum Lindsay said: "It was after the game and [Kemar] Roofe actually kicked the ball to him and he caught the ball, and he sat there with it. It was after all the penalties and that.

"Then a security guard came and took the ball off of him. He was really upset at the whole thing because Roof gave him it. Another ball was given out and he got to keep that ball, so the security guard kept it for himself basically.

Charlie with Ally McCoist after the Europa League final. (Lindsay Gamble)

"I said, 'Why don't you just let him have it?' and there was other people trying to fight his corner but he just shrugged his shoulders and wasn't really interested in giving him it back. He was broken-hearted the poor boy after everything else that happened - no water in the stadium and all that. Just a bit of a nightmare.

"The security guard kept it to himself and put it down where he sat. We waited till' the very end so my son could get his picture taken with Ally McCoist. He told him the story and even Ally was saying that it wasn't fair. Then we looked down and saw the guy had gone away with the ball."

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Lindsay is adamant that the steward wanted to keep the ball for himself, and says that Charlie was left 'devastated' at not being able to take the memento with him back to Glasgow.

She added: "We don't know who the ball belonged to whether it belonged to UEFA but Charlie got it kicked in and caught the ball. There were hardly any other balls left and he got one and I thought it was his, but the security guard obviously wanted to keep it for himself.

"He was brokenhearted. I got upset because he was so upset and seeing him like that. He was devastated, he thought that with the ball at least he had something to take home with him. He had it in his hand."

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