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Cape Town - British soccer fan Pavlos Joseph is a free man after paying a R750 admission of guilt fine, the Cape Town World Cup Court heard on Wednesday.
Londoner Joseph was charged after entering the English team's dressing room in Cape Town following a match on June 18.
His advocate Craig Webster told the magistrate that Joseph's legal team had made representations to the Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
These representations had been successful in that the DPP had agreed to allow him to pay an admission of guilt fine.
Joseph had paid the R750 on Tuesday for a contravention of section 6, sub section 1 of the FIFA Act, being in a designated area without an accreditation card for that area.
He asked that the "charges" against Joseph be withdrawn in his absence.
The magistrate agreed.
Joseph was not in court on Wednesday.
Journalist out on bail
Meanwhile, British journalist Simon Wright, 44, was released on R3 000 bail after his arrest in connection with the security breach in the England soccer team's dressing room, police said on Tuesday.
Police arrested Wright on Monday and charged him with defeating the ends of justice and contravening the Immigration Act.
Brigadier Sally De Beer said Wright was granted bail when he appeared in the dedicated World Cup court in Cape Town at 23:00 on Monday. He was due back in court on Wednesday.
Police believe Joseph's entry to the dressing room was a plot "orchestrated" with Wright to paint World Cup security in a bad light.
This was according to national police commissioner General Bheki Cele who addressed the media on World Cup security in Pretoria on Tuesday.
"The police have reason to believe that this incident was orchestrated and involved the co-operation of a number of individuals," said Cele.
Video footage obtained during an initial investigation backed the theory.
After the incident, the Sunday Mirror reported that when Joseph saw former England captain David Beckham in the change rooms, he said he needed the toilet, then added: "David, we've spent a lot of money getting here. This is a disgrace. What are you going to do about it?"
England had drawn 0-0 with Algeria.
Londoner Joseph was charged after entering the English team's dressing room in Cape Town following a match on June 18.
His advocate Craig Webster told the magistrate that Joseph's legal team had made representations to the Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
These representations had been successful in that the DPP had agreed to allow him to pay an admission of guilt fine.
Joseph had paid the R750 on Tuesday for a contravention of section 6, sub section 1 of the FIFA Act, being in a designated area without an accreditation card for that area.
He asked that the "charges" against Joseph be withdrawn in his absence.
The magistrate agreed.
Joseph was not in court on Wednesday.
Journalist out on bail
Meanwhile, British journalist Simon Wright, 44, was released on R3 000 bail after his arrest in connection with the security breach in the England soccer team's dressing room, police said on Tuesday.
Police arrested Wright on Monday and charged him with defeating the ends of justice and contravening the Immigration Act.
Brigadier Sally De Beer said Wright was granted bail when he appeared in the dedicated World Cup court in Cape Town at 23:00 on Monday. He was due back in court on Wednesday.
Police believe Joseph's entry to the dressing room was a plot "orchestrated" with Wright to paint World Cup security in a bad light.
This was according to national police commissioner General Bheki Cele who addressed the media on World Cup security in Pretoria on Tuesday.
"The police have reason to believe that this incident was orchestrated and involved the co-operation of a number of individuals," said Cele.
Video footage obtained during an initial investigation backed the theory.
After the incident, the Sunday Mirror reported that when Joseph saw former England captain David Beckham in the change rooms, he said he needed the toilet, then added: "David, we've spent a lot of money getting here. This is a disgrace. What are you going to do about it?"
England had drawn 0-0 with Algeria.
