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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Craig Wlliams & Gemma Ryder

Young Rangers fan's Europa League final ball gift from Kemar Roofe taken by security guard

A young Rangers fan has been left crushed by a cruel steward who took away a ball given to him by Kemar Roofe at the Europa League final.

Charlie Ellis, 11, from Cambuslang, attended the game in Seville with mum Lindsay Gamble in hopes of seeing his beloved team pick up the trophy.

After the heartbreak of seeing the Gers beat on penalties, Charlie's spirits were lifted by Rangers striker Kemar Roofe who kicked one of the match balls into the stand for the Primary 6 pupil to take home with him as a memento.

However, the youngster's delight at receiving the ball was short-lived after a security guard promptly took the ball from him as he sat in the stand, Glasgow Live reports.

Mum Lindsay said: "It was after the game and [Kemar] Roofe actually kicked the ball to him and he caught the ball, and he sat there with it. It was after all the penalties and that.

Charlie Ellis at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán stadium in Seville. (Lindsay Gamble)

"Then a security guard came and took the ball off of him. He was really upset at the whole thing because Roof gave him it. Another ball was given out and he got to keep that ball, so the security guard kept it for himself basically.

"I said, 'Why don't you just let him have it?' and there was other people trying to fight his corner but he just shrugged his shoulders and wasn't really interested in giving him it back.

"He was broken-hearted the poor boy after everything else that happened - no water in the stadium and all that. Just a bit of a nightmare.

"The security guard kept it to himself and put it down where he sat. We waited till' the very end so my son could get his picture taken with Ally McCoist. He told him the story and even Ally was saying that it wasn't fair. Then we looked down and saw the guy had gone away with the ball."

Lindsay is adamant the steward wanted to keep the ball for himself, and says Charlie was left 'devastated' at not being able to take the memento with him back to Glasgow.

She added: "We don't know who the ball belonged to whether it belonged to UEFA but Charlie got it kicked in and caught the ball. There were hardly any other balls left and he got one and I thought it was his, but the security guard obviously wanted to keep it for himself.

"He was brokenhearted. I got upset because he was so upset and seeing him like that. He was devastated, he thought that with the ball at least he had something to take home with him. He had it in his hand."

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