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'Broke' Spanish streaker vows to strike again

Steve Tallantyre
Steve Tallantyre - [email protected]
'Broke' Spanish streaker vows to strike again
Jump, real name Jaume Marquet i Cot, tried to place a Catalan barretina hat on football's most famous trophy. Photo: CHRISTOPHE SIMON / AFP

'Jimmy Jump', the Spanish pitch invader who famously tried to place a traditional Catalan hat on the football World Cup trophy in 2010, has sworn to return to action despite being bankrupt after years of paying fines.

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Jump, real name Jaume Marquet i Cot, is perhaps the world's most famous streaker.

The Spaniard is currently banned from every football match in Spain and Germany until 2016, including even youth and junior leagues, but he recently told Greek sports publication Gazzetta that he plans to 'jump' again... in Greece.

"All the Greeks support me," he said. "They want to see Jimmy again. I'm going to Lisbon again to make a new leap dedicated to Greece."

"To honour the team that won Euro 2004, I'm ready to jump again," he added.

Jimmy first leapt to notoriety in Greece in the Euro 2004 championships final between the hosts and Portugal. He threw a Barcelona flag at the Portuguese captain, Luis Figo, who had recently left Barça to join arch-rivals Real Madrid.

Jump continued to gain notoriety later in the same year when he ran through the starting grid at the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix.

He went on to interrupt innumerable sporting and entertainment events including the Eurovison Song Contest and Spain's Goya Awards ceremony. He claims to streak to raise awareness of racial inequality.

His most high-profile stunt came in 2010 when he attempted to place his trademark barretina, a traditional CataIan hat, on the World Cup trophy moments before the final match between Spain and the Netherlands in South Africa.

Jump claims to have accrued more than €350,000 ($437,000) in fines as a result of his actions.

"I have no money, "he said. "A court in Spain has decided to withhold 50 per cent of my monthly salary."

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