By Samindra Kunti in Brussels
October 17 – The Euro 2024 qualifier between Belgium and Sweden was abandoned on Monday night after two Swedish nationals were shot dead in Brussels in a terror attack.
The attack in the Belgian capital also saw a third person wounded, with the man claiming responsibility identifying himself as a member of Islamic State leading to a massive manhunt in the city. Belgian media reported that the shooter was killed by Belgian police on Tuesday morning.
UEFA has confirmed that a moment of silence will be observed at all UEFA EUR0 2024 qualifying matches tonight in memory of the two victims the attack.
The Belgium-Sweden match was being played at the King Baudouin Stadium on the outskirts of Brussels, but was suspended at halftime with the score 1-1 before the two teams and local authorities agreed to abandon the fixture.
The stadium went into lockdown before an orderly evacuation commenced at around 11.50 pm with Swedish fans, about 700, remaining in their seats to get a police escort.
The news of the shooting spread in the run-up to the match, but the Swedish team, who had little to play for, were unaware of the security situation. However, the team’s head of security Martin Fredman indicated that Sweden was considering not returning for the second half. After talks between the two captains of the team, it was decided to abandon the match.
A UEFA statement read: “Following a suspected terrorist attack in Brussels this evening, it has been decided after consultation with the two teams and the local police authorities, that the UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying match between Belgium and Sweden is abandoned. Further communication will be made in due course.”
Swedish FA president Frederik Reinfeldt said that the news of the Swedish nationals having been killed was “devastating to hear”, and emphasised that the safety of the Swedish fans as well as the families of the players was paramount.
In a social media post, Belgium’s prime minister, Alexander De Croo, urged people in the city to “be vigilant”. He wrote: “My deepest condolences to the relatives of the cowardly assassination attempt in Brussels. We are monitoring the situation and would like to ask the residents of Brussels to be vigilant.”
Local authorities raised the terror alert to level 4. Belgian fans were allowed to evacuate the stadium, but the visiting supporters had to wait for police escorts to safely reach their hotels. The team was escorted to the airport.
Struggling to keep his composure at a news conference, Swedish coach Janne Andersson asked: “When I came down for the break, I got this information. Immediately, I felt that it was completely unreal. What kind of world do we live in today?”
“I came into the locker room and when the team started talking, we agreed 100% that we didn’t want to play on out of respect for the victims and their families.”
Sweden captain Victor Lindelof said: “Belgium are already qualified and we don’t have the opportunity to get to the European Championship, so I see no reason to [replay the game].”
UEFA has not yet indicated if the second half will be played at a later date or not.
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