Euro: Euro 2024 Qualifying

gary69

Registered User
Sep 22, 2004
9,616
2,179
Then and there
I think it was 1.5 hours before the game and news started to get out just before kick-off. Players only found out at half time and by then it was also pretty clear that it was terrorism and not football related. Belgian police wanted the game to go on as inside the stadium deemed the most safe, which is why Swedish fans still seems to be inside the stadium.

Remains to be seen if Swedes in particular was the actual target or if it was just a coincidence, but that seems to be the theory right now as there is a clip going around where the suspect claims he got revenge by killing 3 Swedes. For those that are not aware there has been an increased threat level towards Sweden after a bunch of quran burnings during the summer

The shooter has been killed (died on his way to hospital). He was appaently illegal immigrant of Tunisian background, who had been in jail in Sweden too.

Still I wonder when the police thought it was safest for everybody to stay inside the stadium, then why not the play the 2nd half too. Nobody from players/staff even knew who the shot ones were, were they football tourists who had just arrived to Belgum for the match, people of Swedish background living in Brussels or something else.

BTW, didn't the shooting happen around the same streets were most of riots at Euro 2000 occurred?

It seems to me the match was only abonded because the people shot were wearing Swedish NT shirts. If they were shot without the shirts, I doubt the match would have been abandoned. Also. there have been fans stabbed to death before other matches without matches beem postponed, let alone abandoned after the match has already started. I doubt that all the matches in every UEFA country will be postponed in the future either, if there is a shooting in the host city in unclear circumstances before or during a match.

At least all the parties (BEL, SWE, AUT, UEFA) seem to agree about letting the result stay at 1-1, which is sensible decision in the circumstances.
 
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luiginb

Registered User
Aug 23, 2007
7,545
2,910
Barcelona
I'm surprised that so many Swedish fans even bothered to travel to see the match as Sweden is already eliminated. Well, not theoretically yet but in practice yes.
Yeah Brussels is generally a place I wouldn't visit if they paid me.
The shooter has been killed (died on his way to hospital).

Still I wonder when the police thought it was safest for everybody to stay inside the stadium, then why not the play the 2nd half too. Nobody from players/staff even knew who the shot ones were, were they football tourists who had just arrived to Belgum for the match, people of Swedish background living in Brussels or something else.

BTW, didn't the shooting happen around the same streets were most of riots at Euro 2000 occurred?

It seems to me the match was only abonded because the people shot were wearing Swedish NT shirts. If they were shot without the shirts, I doubt the match would have been abandoned. Also. there have been fans stabbed to death before other matches without matches beem postponed, let alone abandoned after the match has already started. I doubt that all the matches in every UEFA country will be postponed in the future either, if there is a shooting in the host city in unclear circumstances before or during a match.

At least all the parties (BEL, SWE, AUT, UEFA) seem to agree about letting the result stay at 1-1, which is sensible decision in the circumstances.
It was a dead rubber match anyway, no point in it going ahead under the circumstances.
 

Prntscrn

Registered User
Sep 29, 2011
5,196
1,642
Sweden
The shooter has been killed (died on his way to hospital). He was appaently illegal immigrant of Tunisian background, who had been in jail in Sweden too.

Still I wonder when the police thought it was safest for everybody to stay inside the stadium, then why not the play the 2nd half too. Nobody from players/staff even knew who the shot ones were, were they football tourists who had just arrived to Belgum for the match, people of Swedish background living in Brussels or something else.

BTW, didn't the shooting happen around the same streets were most of riots at Euro 2000 occurred?

It seems to me the match was only abonded because the people shot were wearing Swedish NT shirts. If they were shot without the shirts, I doubt the match would have been abandoned. Also. there have been fans stabbed to death before other matches without matches beem postponed, let alone abandoned after the match has already started. I doubt that all the matches in every UEFA country will be postponed in the future either, if there is a shooting in the host city in unclear circumstances before or during a match.

At least all the parties (BEL, SWE, AUT, UEFA) seem to agree about letting the result stay at 1-1, which is sensible decision in the circumstances.
Yeah well this is more than "just" a shooting or football related violence. Swedes has had a target on their back for a couple of months now, and yesterday someone decided to make that threat real. For example the Slovakia vs Sweden u18 game that were scheduled for today got canceled because they couldn't guarantee the safety of the Swedish players. Some Swedish national teams stopped wearing Team Sweden clothing even before yesterday as precaution, we have been told to not worry but be alert when in crowded places etc. So yes Swedish fans were safer in the arena than out on the streets, and yes Swedish players were safer in the locker room than out on an open pitch.
 
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HajdukSplit

Registered User
Nov 9, 2005
11,212
880
NJ
Awful result for Finland and they are practically out of automatic qualifying race, all in Slovenia's hands but they have two away trips in their remaining fixtures, but if they win in Belfast today they should be ok. Kazakhstan need to win their remaining fixtures (one which includes Slovenia away) and hope Slovenia slip up in one of their away games. Both Finland and Kazakhstan have the playoff should they not qualify

However, this is an awful result for Norway, they needed Finland to qualify directly. Right now, they would be out of the playoffs. They now need one of Israel or Ukraine to qualify directly (still possible, especially Israel)
 

Civetty

Registered User
Jan 2, 2017
413
247
The shooter has been killed (died on his way to hospital). He was appaently illegal immigrant of Tunisian background, who had been in jail in Sweden too.

Still I wonder when the police thought it was safest for everybody to stay inside the stadium, then why not the play the 2nd half too. Nobody from players/staff even knew who the shot ones were, were they football tourists who had just arrived to Belgum for the match, people of Swedish background living in Brussels or something else.

BTW, didn't the shooting happen around the same streets were most of riots at Euro 2000 occurred?

It seems to me the match was only abonded because the people shot were wearing Swedish NT shirts. If they were shot without the shirts, I doubt the match would have been abandoned. Also. there have been fans stabbed to death before other matches without matches beem postponed, let alone abandoned after the match has already started. I doubt that all the matches in every UEFA country will be postponed in the future either, if there is a shooting in the host city in unclear circumstances before or during a match.

At least all the parties (BEL, SWE, AUT, UEFA) seem to agree about letting the result stay at 1-1, which is sensible decision in the circumstances.

It was the Swedish team that didn't want to keep playing the game, they didn't get informed about the attack until half-time and since the attack was aimed directly against Swedes due to the burning of the quran that been going on it seems to have been really messy getting fans out of the stadium since it was unknown if there was more aggressors as well as the current one hadn't been caught/shot until the next day.
 

luiginb

Registered User
Aug 23, 2007
7,545
2,910
Barcelona
I feel like I hadn't seen Kalvin Phillips play in years and lo and behold he's starting for what should be the strongest national football team in football nowadays, but unfortunately for them they have a clown on the bench.
 

HajdukSplit

Registered User
Nov 9, 2005
11,212
880
NJ
Montenegro about to go in the half tied with Serbia (if the result holds Montenegro would control their own destiny). While Hungary are screwing up their chances to be in Pot 1 for Euro.
 

SeawaterOnIce

Bald is back in style.
Sponsor
Aug 28, 2011
18,079
22,859
I hate England, but it would be really something to see Italy get bounced out of consecutive tournaments. An Italy loss puts all the pressure on them to win out the next string of games against a tough Ukrainian side and a North Macedonia team they have had massive issues beating.

Edit: There it is! Rooting for the Ukraine next game to really put the screws to Italy's chances.
 

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