March 31 – Swedish football has been left in shock after a supporter of the Stockholm club Djurgarden died from head injuries sustained in an assault before his team’s season-opening fixture at Helsingborg.
The match was abandoned four minutes before half-time with the score at 1-1 when angry Djurgarden fans stormed the pitch as word spread of the fatality which occurred about 30 minutes before kickoff.
The Swedish domestic season runs from March to November and while the game has long been plagued by violent incidents, this was the first fatality since 2002 when a 26-year-old man was killed during clashes between supporters of AIK and IFK Goteborg in Stockholm.
“The Djurgarden family is in mourning,” the Stockholm club said in a statement. “We can’t describe in words how we’re feeling right now.”
Police said the 43-year-old man was found “seriously injured” in central Helsingborg and was taken to a hospital, where he later died. Local media said he had been hit in the head by an object after rival fans started fighting.
Former Swedish striker Henrik Larsson called on fans to take responsibility for combating hooliganism following the death.
“What the hell are we doing? I mean, we’re supposed to be going to football,” an emotional Larsson told TV station CMore. “We need to get rid of it from Swedish football. It’s time for the supporters to take their responsibility too. They’re happy to blame others, but take some of your own damn responsibility. It’s time for someone to start waking up, because I don’t want it in Swedish football, or in any football.”
Djurgarden sporting director Bo Andersson said the deceased supporter was a genuine fan. “He wasn’t a hooligan, he was a regular supporter, a father of four who liked going to football,” Andersson told newspaper Aftonbladet.
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