Sweden being forced to replay Belgium football match under UEFA rules despite dreadful terror attack
Sweden face being forced to replay their football match with Belgium despite awful terror attacks
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Sweden face being forced to finish their Euro 2024 qualifying match with Belgium due to UEFA rules - despite Monday night's awful terror attack in Brussels.
The match at the King Baudouin Stadium was called off at half time after goals from Viktor Gyokeres and Romelu Lukaku.
Sweden fans were forced to wait inside until 4am for their own safety while police hunted a man who killed two supporters nearby.
Police shot the gunman, a 45-year-old Tunisian national, dead in a cafe in Brussels during the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Sweden's match with Belgium was called off with the score at 1-1
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After the traumatic events of last night, Sweden captain Victor Lindelof said there was 'no reason to finish the match'.
Sweden have nothing to play for, having failed to qualify for next summer's European Championships.
The same can be said of Belgium, who have already booked their place in the competition.
"Belgium are already qualified," he said.
"And we don't have the opportunity to get to the European Championship, so I see no reason to play [replay the game]."
However, UEFA regulations mean Sweden may have no choice but to play out the remainder of the game.
Article 29 of UEFA's rules for the European Championships say: "If a match cannot start or cannot be played in full, the full or remaining match time is, as a rule, played on the next day, without prejudice to any possible disciplinary measures.
"For that purpose, the host associations must conclude all the necessary agreements to ensure that the required facilities are available and can be operated."
Sweden players have already jetted out of Belgium, meaning the match won't be rescheduled for Tuesday.
But the next article in UEFA's rules says: "If a match cannot be rescheduled the next day, the UEFA administration fixes a new date, during or as close as possible to the international match calendar window concerned.
"The rescheduling may entail exceptions to the regular match scheduling pattern."
The rules also make it clear the match must be played at the same ground.
If that's not able to happen, UEFA must approve an alternative venue instead.
Reports in Belgium say the Belgian FA won't put any pressure on their Swedish counterparts to finish the match.
Though it could end up impacting their chances of being top seeds for Euro 2024 next summer, they're firm in their current stance.
Manu Leroy, the acting general secretary of the Belgian FA, said: "We want to show our respect for what happened.
"It is important to be big in a situation like this and we will be."
Swedish FA general secretary Hakan Sjostrand also revealed finishing the match wasn't a priority for his country right now.
"We will conduct a dialogue with the Belgian FA and UEFA.
"It [finishing the match] is completely secondary.
"They have to deal with this, hopefully in a sensible and good way."
Lindelof, meanwhile, has taken to social media to pay tribute to the two Sweden fans senselessly murdered in Belgium.
"I'm shocked and devastated by the terrible incidents in Brussels with the cold-hearted attacks on our fellow Swedes," he said in a message posted on social media.
"I'm lost for words for the cruelty and inhumanity, I want to send my deepest condolences to the families and friends of those affected.
"At the same time, my thoughts go out to all the supporters in Belgium last night, no one should ever go to a game of football and feel unsafe when supporting their team."
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