Sweden’s national team has already left Belgium after the fatal shots in Brussels on Monday evening (October 16, 2023). As Swedish television SVT reported, the team was flown out on a charter plane that night.
Police officers also escorted the Swedish football fans to their hotels a good two hours after the European Championship qualifier against Belgium was called off early. Officials urged fans not to display Swedish flags in public. At the same time, fans received the offer of being escorted to the airport on their return journey.
On Monday evening, two Swedish football fans were shot dead and another person was wounded in Brussels. The suspected perpetrator is still on the run. During the night it was said that investigators had identified a suspected suspect. This was reported by the Belgian news agency Belga, citing the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said early in the morning that it was a man of Tunisian origin who was staying illegally in Belgium. According to some official sources, he is already known in Tunisia for terrorist offenses.
European Championship qualification: Game abandoned in Brussels when the score was 1-1
The European Championship qualifier between Belgium and Sweden in the King Baudouin Stadium was canceled after consultation with both teams and the security authorities when the score was 1-1 after the first half. The crime scene is only around five kilometers from the former Heysel Stadium.
“Both teams, the Belgian and the Swedish, together with UEFA, made the decision not to finish the game. What happened is very serious. It is terrible to hear that two of our fans died”, said the Swedish association president Fredrik Reinfeldt.
“What the hell kind of world do we live in?”
“I feel so sad. It is extremely tragic and I think of those affected and their families. What kind of world do we live in? What kind of world do we live in, the hell?”said Sweden coach Janne Andersson. “We can’t play football when something like that happens. We and Belgium completely agreed that we would not continue playing. It’s completely disgusting.”
An announcement in the stadium informed the spectators that the match had been canceled. However, they first had to remain in the stadium and wait for the green light from the security services to leave. The Swedish team also initially stayed in the stadium. According to the Belgian authorities, this is current “the safest place”explained Reinfeldt.
Hold out until shortly before midnight
It was only shortly before midnight, after two hours of waiting in cool temperatures, that the fans were able to leave the stadium. Officials provided additional protection for Swedish nationals and accompanied the Swedish national players directly to the airport so that they could leave safely. The managing director of the Belgian Football Association explained this to the Belgian broadcaster RTBF.
First the Belgian fans were evacuated, then the visiting supporters in order to avoid crowds. “Everyone stayed very quiet, the fans started singing,” one fan reported.
Continuation unclear
It was initially unclear whether and when the game would continue. Belgium had already qualified in Group F for the finals in Germany (June 14th to July 14th) last Friday. Sweden no longer has a chance of displacing Belgium or Austria from one of the top two places that are enough to qualify.