Match between Belgium and Sweden at the Stadium was not resumed due to security measures. King Baudouin. Photo: Virginie Lefour/Belga/dpa – Virginie Lefour/Belga/dpa
MADRID, 17 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The match between the Belgian and Swedish national teams, corresponding to the qualifying phase of the Euro 2024 and which is being played in Brussels, has not resumed after the end of the first half for security reasons following the death of two people by firearm in a square in the capital before the match.
«Due to the incidents that occurred tonight in Brussels, the game is suspended. Our thoughts are with all those affected,” confirmed the Belgian team in its official ‘X’ profile, while UEFA alluded to “security reasons.”
For its part, the Swedish team issued a message to its fans “present in Brussels.” «The Belgian police want Swedish fans to remain in the stadium for security reasons. Stay calm and take care of each other. Our thoughts are with all the relatives of those affected in Brussels », he stressed.
Sweden captain Victor Lindelof said he spoke “with all the players about how they felt” and then with the Belgian players to “explain” how they saw the situation. «We were very clear that we did not want to continue playing the game. We explained it (to the Belgian players) and they completely agreed,” he noted in statements reported on the website of the Swedish newspaper ‘Aftonbladet’.
«Those who had family or friends here wanted to try to contact them directly and see that they were okay. I think our security team handled it very well and explained the situation to us. They calmed us down and said that this is the safest place in Brussels at the moment. “We feel quite safe here even though people were worried,” the center-back remarked.
According to the Belgian newspaper ‘La Derniere Heure’, the Swedish players have decided not to return to the field due to the events that occurred around 7:00 p.m., a request that the local team has accepted. The score was 1-1 and neither team had much at stake since Belgium is mathematically qualified for the EURO and Sweden had run out of options for victory hours before Austria.
At least two people have died and several more have been injured by firearms in an incident that occurred shortly after 7:00 p.m. near Saintelette Square in Brussels. Police sources already point to the terrorist hypothesis, according to the media.
Police sources cited by the regional media group Sudinfo indicate that a man opened fire indiscriminately with a Kalashnikov-type rifle shouting “Alahu akbar!” and that the two victims would be Swedish nationals.
#Belgium #Belgium #Sweden #match #qualifying #EURO #suspended #break
– 2024-05-11 05:10:37
