JOHANNESBURG: A Spanish football fan who ran onto the pitch before the kick-off of the World Cup final and tried to put a hat on the trophy has been slapped with a fine, media reported Tuesday.

Jaume Marquet Cot, who calls himself "Jimmy Jump", was fined 2,000 rands (260 dollars, 210 euros) by a Johannesburg court late Monday for trespassing and attempted theft of the World Cup trophy, The Star newspaper said.

Cot, a habitual pitch invader whose exploits are detailed on his website, www.jimmyjump.com, was not trying to steal the trophy but place a Spanish-style barretina hat on it to convey a message of freedom, a friend told The Star.

"He was trying to place the hat (on) the World Cup trophy, not steal it. He`s promoting freedom itself, freedom for everybody," said his friend, Alex Sola.

Cot was punched in the face by a security guard and escorted off the pitch when he made a mad dash for the trophy 10 minutes before Sunday`s World Cup final, in which Spain clinched a 1-0 extra-time defeat over the Netherlands.

BDST: 1158hrs, July 13, 2010