The increased threat level has affected Swedes outside the borders as well.
Sweden lost to Spain in the semi-finals and had to play for the bronze medal. PDO
The raised terrorism threat level in Sweden is taken seriously within the country, and the situation affects Swedes abroad as well. The threat has affected the Swedish team until the World Cup in Australia, news reports Fotbollskanalen.
Security manager of the Swedish Football Association Martin Fredman revealed to the Swedish media that he communicated with the World Cup hosts Australia and New Zealand news services. Fredman reminded that the terrorist threat does not only concern Sweden, but also Swedes abroad.
The security manager says that the team discussed, among other things, when to wear the Swedish team’s clothes and when not to.
We don’t meet at the market
The security manager of the Swedish Football Association said on Friday that if Sweden wins the bronze medal at the World Cup, official celebrations cannot be held, at least for the time being.
Sweden will play in the bronze medal match against Australia on Saturday in a match starting at 11 o’clock. The possible medal ceremony would have been organized on Tuesday, if Sweden won the match. Fredman told the Swedish media about the cancellation decision.
– Of course, we want the team to be celebrated in the event of a medal, and the supporters have the opportunity to do so later. With Säpo’s new information, it is difficult to organize a public celebration safely when the schedule is so tight, Fredman says.
According to Fredman, around 30,000 Swedish fans were expected to attend the possible medal ceremony. The party was supposed to be held in an area where access control would be difficult. According to Fredman, the threat of terrorism could have been limited, but not completely prevented.
– I have been in contact with the security police, and they told us that the organizers are responsible for security. We don’t think we could have taken responsibility for the players or the crowd.
Increased threat
The threat level of terrorism was raised to level 4 on Thursday, which is the second highest rating. Level four means “high threat”. Head of the Swedish Security Police Charlotte von Essen said on Thursday that despite the increased threat level, the situation does not affect the lives of Swedes much.
– The situation has deteriorated, and this will last for a long time. I understand that this may cause concern, but our message is that life should continue as usual, as long as you are attentive and follow the communication of the authorities, von Essen told the press conference.