A Bulgarian footballer was reported to police for carving his initials into Rome's ancient Colosseum monument, the latest in a long list of similar acts of vandalism at the UNESCO World Heritage site.
Security guards caught the 33-year-old footballer using a coin to carve his initials into a column the ground floor of the 2,000 year-old monument.
The footballer faces a hefty fine for damage to a building of historical, artistic and cultural value, according to police.
He plays for a Russian first division team and was on holiday in the Italian capital with his girlfriend.
As recently as two days ago, a Lebanese tourist was charged with carving her initials into an iconic pillar at the Colosseum, built around 70 AD.
Based on punishments that have been handed out in the past, the woman could face a five-figure fine if she is convicted of the charge.
In March, two Californian women, aged 21 and 25, were arrested after carving a J and N into a brick wall on the first floor of the west side of the Colosseum, which is visited by more than five million people a year.
A 42-year-old Russian tourist, Akaev Kazbek, was given a four-month suspended prison sentence and fined 20,000 euros last November after carving a large letter 'K' into a wall of the Colosseum with an awl.
Earlier last year, a 15-year-old Canadian schoolgirl was caught putting a brick from Colosseum into a bag to try and take home as a souvenir.
