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A notorious gatecrasher reveals how he sneaks into the world's biggest sports events

Aug 12, 2016, 17:43 IST

Tommy Dunn snuck into the World Cup Finals in 2014Tommy Dunn

Gatecrashing is dangerous, and can land you in legal trouble if the owner of a venue decides to press charges.

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But Karl Power and Tommy Dunn - two of the UK's most infamous pranksters - have spent their lives getting into high-profile sports venues for fun. They've been banned from football matches in the past, but it hasn't stopped them looking for new ways to gatecrash.

They've pulled a number of cunning stunts, from playing at Wimbledon and joining Manchester United on the football pitch, to appearing on the winner's podium at Silverstone and sneaking into the 2014 World Cup finals.

Business Insider talked to Dunn to find out how they have pulled off their pranks over the years.

"Every prank we've gone for, we've done," Dunn told Business Insider. The duo has performed five stunts together, but Dunn said he has gatecrashed as many as 20 sporting events in his life, including gaining access to the football pitch at the 2014 World Cup finals.

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The most important thing when sneaking into a venue, Dunn said, is to be confident and commit to your challenge. "Go for it. Otherwise, what's the point?"

Dunn is famous for helping fellow gatecrasher Karl Power pose with Manchester United right before a match against Bayern Munich in the 2001 UEFA Champions League quarter final.

Karl Power made it onto the pitch in Munich to pose with Manchester United in 2001Sports Guru/YouTube

"There wasn't really much thought that went into it," Dunn said. "Initially, we wanted to go to the finals in Milan, but United had already lost one match and we knew they'd be kicked out and we'd lose our chance."

According to the legendary prankster, knowing your venue inside out is crucial. "You need to do a recce of the place first. It's absolutely important." Dunn had already been to Bayern Munich's stadium before on a filming project, so he already knew how to get his friend onto the pitch.

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Preparation was also key when it came to playing at Wimbledon.

Reuters Photographer/Reuters

In 2002, a year after the stunt in Munich, Dunn's son (also called Tommy) and Power appeared on Centre Court for 20 seconds and managed to play a rally before Tim Henman appeared for his scheduled match.

Dunn Senior took time to practice with Power and his son ahead of the tournament so that the pair could stay on the court for as long as possible when they broke in. No charges were pressed.

"I can say with absolute confidence it was some of the worst tennis I've ever seen at Wimbledon," he said.

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Reuters Photographer/Reuters

But gatecrashing doesn't always go unpunished. In 2005, Power and Dunn were banned from attending football matches for three years after sneaking past security guards at Old Trafford stadium to pose for a photo dressed in Manchester United's strip before a match against Liverpool. The pair were even asked to hand over their passports to prevent them attending England away games.

Once the ban was lifted, Dunn came straight back to his hoaxes. The key to sneaking into a venue, he said, is to look the part. In 2015, Dunn made waves in Manchester when he sneaked into Barcelona football club's coach before a match against Manchester City. "I had a suit on so I looked like security."

"It's very easy to do really. No one questions what you're doing because they aren't expecting it."

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