'Child' Pictured Smoking At Football Match Revealed To Be 36-Year-Old Man

A Turkish football fan has gone viral after cameras caught him smoking in the stands prior to Bursaspor's 2-1 win over Fenerbahce.

But it wasn't just the fact that he was smoking which caught the eye of thousands of Twitter users - people were under the impression that it was a child puffing away. The video soon went viral, with people shocked and outraged that a young boy was being allowed to smoke.

To be fair, in the video, he does look a similar age to the boy sat next to him.

The supporter, who is proudly wearing his Bursaspor shirt and scarf, looks no older than 10 years of age but can be seen smoking away on a cigarette as he and his companion wait for the game to start.

But after a campaign was launched to find out who the mystery smoker was, his true identity was confirmed - as was his age. Seems a lot of people who saw the 'child' on screen are in for a surprise.

It appears that the 'child' is actually a 36-year-old father who was enjoying the charity game with his son at the Timsah Arena, according to a post from Yüreğini Koy Ortaya's Instagram account.

He might still not be out of the woods yet, though, as it's actually illegal to smoke in public places in Turkey. It's not yet been confirmed whether or not the man will be charged, but smoking in public places, including sports stadiums, is banned in Turkey. It can actually carry a fine as well - if located, the man could face a fine of 69 Turkish lira (approx £13).

It really is quite the plot twist though, isn't it? The fresh-faced dad is actually nearing 40 - must have to take his ID everywhere with him, you'd have to imagine.

Instagram / Yüreğini Koy Ortaya

In a photo taken of the man close up, he does look a bit closer to his reported age than he does in the video - but he's still definitely been given the gift of a youthful face. If you look in his hand you can see what looks like an identification card.

Bursaspor and Fenerbahce both have huge followings in Turkey. Prior to the game on Sunday, the two sides had agreed to donate all of the proceeds from the match to charities, including organisations that help people with cancer, a well as ones that support children with Down's Syndrome.

Topics: Weird

Amelia Ward

Amelia is a journalist at LADbible. After studying journalism at Liverpool John Moores and Salford Uni (don't ask), she went into PR and then the world of music. After a few years working on festivals and events, she went back to her roots. In her spare time, Amelia likes music, Liverpool FC, and spending good, quality time with her cat, Paul. You can contact Amelia at [email protected].

@amelialadbible