Back to the West Ham United Newsfeed

West Ham fan who invaded pitch and planted corner flag in centre circle revealed as 61-year-old businessman who says: ‘I hadn’t planned anything, but I just felt I had to do something'

The football fan who invaded the pitch of a Premier League match and planted a corner flag in the centre circle can be identified by MailOnline as a respectable businessman who has voluntarily handed himself into police.

Travel operator Paul Colborne, 61, brought the match between West Ham United and Burnley at the London Stadium to a standstill when he ran from his seat and rammed the flag into the pitch as astonished players looked on.

Mr. Colborne’s actions were seen by millions on television around the world and have helped plunge the London club, who play their home matches at the stadium which hosted the 2012 Olympics, into a crisis.