Belgrade, Serbia (AP) — The captain’s armband that Cristiano Ronaldo angrily threw to the ground during Portugal’s World Cup qualifier in Belgrade last week has been sold to an unidentified bidder for 64,000 euros ($75,000) at a charity auction, Serbian state TV reported on Friday.
Djordje Vukicevic, local firemen who were deployed at the stadium, picked it up and immediately contacted a regional sports channel with the idea of auctioning it for charity.
A Serbian humanitarian group put the blue armband up for online bidding to raise money for medical treatment for a 6-month-old boy suffering from spinal muscular atrophy.
Vukicevic told AFP on Tuesday that he suggested raising funds required to treat a six-month-old baby, Gavrilo Djurdjevic, who suffers from a rare disease.
The infant is battling spinal muscular atrophy, a disease that affects about one in 10,000 births, and results in death or the need for permanent ventilation by the age of two in 90 percent of cases.
The three-day auction didn’t pass without controversy as some participants tried to disrupt the process by putting up unrealistically huge sums. The fake bidding triggered public outrage with authorities pledging to find and punish the culprits.
While heading to the dressing room before the final whistle, Ronaldo angrily threw down his armband near the touchline. After the match, it was picked up by a firefighter on duty and given to the charity group.
Ronaldo was criticized for his actions and some believe his angry display could lead to FIFA sanctions.