A 44-year-old Slovak ice hockey fan's love for the game appears to have led to his undoing after he was arrested by Italian police for an outstanding warrant.

Fugitive wanted for string of thefts

Despite being wanted by Italian authorities, he returned to the country with the intention of watching his national hockey team at the Winter Olympics, Italian media reported, citing the Carabinieri.

Police said the Slovak national had an arrest warrant issued 16 years earlier for a series of thefts.

They managed to track him down and swooped on him after he checked into a guest house situated in the outskirts of Milan.

He was taken to the San Vittore prison to serve an 11 month and 7 day sentence for the thefts he committed in 2010, the Carabinieri said.

He didn't manage to catch the game in which Slovakia's hockey team handed Finland a sound 4-1 drubbing at Milan's Santagiulia Arena.

Edited by: Roshni Majumdar