Monday, October 12, 2015

You’re going home in a faking ambulance

Brazen fan ... Danna waves in wheelchair

A SUPERFIT football supporter pretended to be wheelchair-bound to get a front-row spot for Liverpool’s sell-out clash with Everton.

Kop fan Jake Danna, 23, who does triathlons, had got hold of a disabled ticket. A charity said it was “shocking

”.Danna, who ran, swam and cycled his way through a gruelling triathlon at the weekend, yesterday refused to apologise. He said: “I’d do it again. You’ve got to see the Reds.”
Danna turned up in a wheelchair at Goodison Park after borrowing his disabled grandad’s ticket.
He was seen on TV watching the 1-1 draw from a prime spot reserved for disabled fans behind the hoardings.

But friends were horrified when they saw Danna waving from the wheelchair last Sunday.

One said: “Jake is effectively sticking two fingers up to every genuinely disabled football fan and making a mockery of their condition.

“He seems to think being dependent on a wheelchair is funny and getting a front-row ticket is a ‘perk’. He should be thoroughly ashamed of himself. I hope he never finds himself needing a wheelchair for a genuine reason.”
Fit faker ... Danna in sports gear for triathlon training
Fit faker ... Danna in sports gear for triathlon training
Mark Atkinson, chief executive of disability charity Scope, said: “It’s shocking someone would go to the lengths of pretending to be disabled.

“It can be difficult for disabled fans to watch Premier League football live because grounds still lack suitable accessible facilities.”

Leisure centre worker Danna made the 300-mile journey to the derby from his home in Weymouth, Dorset.
Sold out ... Everton's Ross Barclay and Liverpool's Nathaniel Clyne in derby clash
Sold out ... Everton's Ross Barclay and Liverpool's Nathaniel Clyne in derby clash Reuters/Lee Smith
Saturday, as he returned home in sports gear and wearing a medal won in a local triathlon, he laughed off his wheelchair stunt.

He said: “This is good banter. I’m a big Liverpool fan but I can’t comment.

”When asked if he was sorry, he said: “No, not at all, I’d do it again.”
Danna refuses to apologise for stunt
Danna refuses to apologise for stunt
Girlfriend Sheri Cafer said: “It’s a season ticket for his disabled grandad, but his grandad was on holiday. We don’t want it to look like he’s stolen a disabled ticket.”

Everton and Liverpool did not comment.

— IN March two Everton fans bragged on Facebook about sneaking into a game at Stoke by pretending to be disabled.

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