A British comedian, dressed in the identical travel suit as England’s World Cup team, snuck in with the players in an attempt to get on the team’s flight to Miami on Sunday.
Calling himself “Jason Bent,” comedian Simon Brodkin was attempting to pass as one of the players. He even had his passport and was ready to board the plane along with the team.
The actor/comedian, whose best known role was as “Lee Nelson” in two BBC comedy shows, tried to mingle with team members drawing some very bemused and confused looks from the players.
It wasn’t long before team captain Steve Gerrard realized what was going on and retrieved security to have the interloper escorted away.
Some of the players were seen smirking as the actor was pulled away from the team, protesting that he was a player and should get on the flight.
A spokesman for the Bedfordshire Police said, “Officers were assisting private security at Landmark Aviation when a man managed to enter the area and approached the England team bus.”
“This man was quickly apprehended, taken away from the scene and given some strong police advice about his future conduct,” he said.
Brodkin’s “Jason Bent” character is one of his many guises. “Bent” is a footballer who has a “reputation for a poor disciplinary record.”
The BBC insists that it had no hand in the stunt and that Brodkin acted on his own.
This isn’t the first time the actor has tried to mix with players. Last year he was arrested for violating the Football Offences Act when he went onto the field during warm up time for the Manchester City team just before a match with Everton at Goodison Park.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com
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