The World Cup fan who burst into the England dressing room and berated the players was today hailed a “national hero” by his friends as he appeared in court in South Africa.
As Pavlos Joseph appeared before a judge in Cape Town charged with trespassing, his colleagues back home said his tirade after the disappointing draw with Algeria had given the team “the rallying cry they need to get to the final”.
Joseph, 32, from Crystal Palace, has been banned from attending future World Cup matches after firing a verbal volley at David Beckham when he was given the wrong directions on the way to the lavatories at the Green Point stadium and ended up in the England changing rooms.
But today those close to him leapt to his defence and said they would be holding a “party in his honour” when he gets home.
Kristian Keates, 37, has worked with Joseph, a mortgage adviser, for the last two years. “He’s such a character, a really good lad,” he said. “He’s so open and bubbly, we hope his words have given the England team the encouragement they need. We will hold a party in his honour when he gets back. If it was me who found myself in the dressing room, I would have frozen. But nothing fazes Pavlos, we’re so proud of him saying what the nation is feeling.”
Chris Veale, 26, said: “He has England in the office sweepstake, maybe he was trying to increase his chances of winning the £35 jackpot. He’s a big Man United supporter and we talk football in the office all the time.”
Veale, who runs an import business in the same office as Joseph’s mortgage company in Upper Norwood, said: “He’s very hard working and in the office all of the time. He’s so committed to work that I was surprised he was going to South Africa for the whole tournament with his cousin.
“He loves exchanging business cards and it’s just his style to give one to the Fifa boss — he probably tried to help him with his mortgage. He’s such a character, but polite and honest.”
Joseph was arrested at his hotel yesterday and then bailed after appearing in court in Cape Town charged with trespassing. South African Police Service spokeswoman Brigadier Sally de Beer said he was released on 500 rand bail.
It comes as England’s World Cup campaign lurched further into crisis after John Terry spoke out about manager Fabio Capello’s strict rules and team selection. Some players were later said to have thought their former captain had gone too far.
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