Djurgården fined for allowing captain’s son on pitch after victory in season opener

Djurgården captain Magnus Eriksson (32) celebrated victory in the season premiere with his four-year-old son. The club has now been fined for that.

It writes The evening paper.

The Stockholm club beat Brommapojkarna 3–1 in the series opener at home. Shortly after the end of the match, Eriksson’s son joined him on the grass to celebrate the three points.

The Swedish Football Association does not allow children to be on the pitch – this has now led to the big club being fined NOK 24,000.

– This is for repeated offenses from last year as well. But it is the first time this year that Djurgården has been punished, says secretary of the union Leif Andersson The soccer channel.

The association stated in April that the rule is about safety, and that not just anyone can be on the pitch.

– Basically, it is a security issue. We agree on that, and so do the clubs. People who are on the inside must have a job assignment and be accredited, said the football association’s chief delegate Per Eliasson, according to Aftonbladet.

Andersson explains that the association’s disciplinary committee received a large number of reports regarding unaccredited persons, such as children, on the indoor pitches in the Allsvenskan last season.

– It is sad that there is a breach of the regulations that the clubs have helped to design, and that it continues. Generally speaking, it is boring for us to issue fines, no matter what the issue is. When it comes to children on the pitch, it is entirely a safety issue, and the regulations have also not been up for discussion about change for this year, says Andersson.

The announcement that the club risked being fined did not sit well with Djurgården’s event manager.

– We do not agree with the union on this matter. We are part of the association, but we will review how we can do differently to avoid unnecessary reports, Mats Jonsson told the Swedish newspaper.

The player himself, who took his son with him to the pitch, didn’t see the problem either.

– I think it’s completely unreal that it should be a thing, if I’m being completely honest. It is our children’s biggest wish to get onto the field after the game. I cannot in my wildest imagination understand that it should be a safety risk to sing victory songs and jump on the field. I can’t even take it seriously, said Magnus Eriksson.

The incident has made the captain want a rule change.

– Why shouldn’t you do it? These are our families. I understand that you can’t bring the whole family, but it’s about two minutes on the pitch. Many of us in the team have children who think it’s an incredibly nice feeling. To take that joy from them and us I think would have been harmful, Eriksson told Aftonbladet at the beginning of April.

– It just feels stupid and unnecessary that it should result in a fine, he concludes.