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Fans of Sweden’s soccer teams will be advised against wearing clothing in national colours when they travel abroad in the wake of the killing of two Swedish supporters before a European Championship qualifying match in Belgium.
Key points:
Two Swedish fans were shot dead in Brussels before a Euro 2024 qualifier against BelgiumA Tunisian national chased the fans from a taxi into a building before gunning them downSweden is on a high terror alert after a series of Quran burnings by an Iraqi refugee living in the country
At least one of the men shot dead in the incident in Brussels on Monday was wearing a Swedish soccer jersey.
The fans got out of a taxi not far from King Baudouin Stadium, which hosted the Belgium-Sweden match, and were chased into a building before being gunned down by a Tunisian national who posted a video online saying the Quran was “a red line for which he is ready to sacrifice himself”.
Sweden recently raised its terror alert to the second-highest level in August after a series of public Quran burnings by an Iraqi refugee living in the country resulted in threats from Islamic militant groups.
At a news conference in Stockholm, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said “everything indicates this is a terrorist attack against Sweden and Swedish citizens, just because they are Swedish”.
Martin Fredman, head of security for the Swedish soccer federation, said on Tuesday that fans making trips abroad will be advised not to wear the blue and yellow attire associated with the country’s sports teams.
“It’s the case that a perpetrator has targeted Swedish citizens,” Mr Fredman said.
“So it would be reprehensible not to go with a recommendation that we should avoid [Swedish team clothing] when we are out on trips like this.”
Mr Fredman said he hadn’t received any such advice from Belgian authorities before Monday’s match.
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Sweden’s National Sports Confederation, a body that oversees the various sports associations in the country, on Tuesday published a list of “preventative measures” for fans travelling abroad for sporting events.
Among them was the “extent one should be exposed to Swedish paraphernalia”.
Sweden’s players returned to their clubs on Tuesday after taking an overnight flight following the suspension of their match against Belgium at halftime, by which time news had filtered through about the shootings.
The Sweden squad went directly to the airport once they were allowed to leave the stadium, which was locked down for two and a half hours before officials began an evacuation process around midnight.
The last of the Swedish supporters — totalling about 650, according to the Swedish soccer federation — left the stadium at about 4am under police surveillance, along with some staff from the federation.
All hotels where Swedish supporters were staying were also guarded by police, the federation said.
It remained unclear whether the Belgium-Sweden match would be completed at a later date. UEFA said it was too early to make any decision.
Belgium and Austria have qualified for next year’s tournament in Germany, but both teams can still win Group F.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino wrote to Swedish soccer officials on Tuesday “to express our deepest condolences” and to express solidarity that can “to some extent be a source of support and comfort”.
The Belgium team said it was “still devastated” by what had happened in a country hit by several extremist attacks in recent years, including suicide bombings in 2016 that killed 32 people and injured hundreds more in the Brussels subway and airport.
The suspect was shot dead by police on Tuesday morning, Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden said, and the weapon believed to have been used by the man was recovered.
AP
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