World Cup Reporter Dodges Sexual Advance, Immediately Has Words for Out of Line Soccer Fan

A female World Cup reporter lectured a soccer fan who attempted to kiss her while she was broadcasting.

Julia Guimarães, a reporter with TV Globo and SporTV in Brazil, was broadcasting from Yekaterinburg in Russia before the Japan v. Senegal game on Sunday when an overzealous fan attempted to kiss her on the cheek. The incident, captured on video, shows Guimarães quickly dodging the man’s advances before issuing him a strict warning and lecture.

“Don’t do this. Never do this again, OK? I don’t allow you to do that, never. OK? This is not polite. This is not right. Never do this. Never do this to a woman, OK? Respect,” she is heard scolding the fan, who quickly began to back away and issue an apology.

Guimarães told Globo Esporte that this had been the second time that a fan had attempted to kiss her while reporting for the World Cup, stating that harassment ranged from aggressive looks, songs, and attempted unwanted kisses.

“I’m experiencing it a lot in Russia. Which obviously I do not understand, but I feel. And it’s the second time something physical has happened, with a guy trying to kiss me,” she said, according to the Daily Mail. “It’s awful. I feel helpless, vulnerable. This time I gave an answer, but it’s sad, people do not understand. I wanted to understand why he thinks he has a right to do that.”

Guimarães is just the latest reporter to be harassed at the sporting event. Last week, Julieth Gonzalez Theran, Colombian correspondent for German channel Deutsche Welle, was broadcasting live from the city of Saransk when a man suddenly approached her and groped her breast and kissed her cheek. While Theran seemed to breeze by the incident and continue on with the report, the footage quickly went viral.

The fan, who only identified himself as “Ruslan,” later issued an apology.

“An unsuccessful joke turned into sexual harassment. There has been a stir around this misunderstanding and an unsuccessful joke with a kiss on the cheek turned into sexual harassment. I offer you the most profound apologies. I acted carelessly and did not think that it would cause you confusion and shock,” he told Theran during a Skype call, USA Today reports.

That same week, on June 18, Swedish reporter Mahlin Wahlberg was broadcasting ahead of Sweden’s match against North Korea when a man jumped from the crowd and kissed her cheek.