In a reaction to the killing of two Swedish football support prior to Monday evening’s European Championships qualifier in Brussels, the Belgian Football Association has issued a message of sympathy and support to Swedish football fans. In the massage the Belgian FA said that “We are still devastate by what happened.
Belgian FA sends message of support to Swedish fans: “We are devastated by what has happened”
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The Belgian Football Association went on to praise the behaviour of the 35,000 football supporters both Swedish and Belgian during the around 2 hours that they were obliged to remain in the stadium after it was decided to end Monday evening’s game at half time. After having learned that two Swedes had been killed and a third injured by a gunman in the centre of Brussels earlier in the evening the Swedish national team players said that they didn’t wish to play the second half of the game. The match was abandoned with the score at 1-1.
In order to ensure the safety of fans and amid fears that the gunman might strike again two metro stations close to the King Boudewijn Stadium were closed and fans had to remain inside the stadium until almost midnight. The Belgian FA said in its statement that it appreciates the cooperation it received from supporters at Monday evening’s game.
"We would like to thank all the fans that were inside the stadium for their understanding and support in these difficult circumstances. Our thoughts are with Sweden and we hope that everyone returns home safely”.
Swedish Union Saint-Gilliose
It was an emotional evening for the Belgian First Division club Union Saint-Gilloise’s Swedish striker Gustaf Nilsson. He was at Monday evening’s game.
In a statement published on social media Gustaf Nilsson’s club said “Our Swedish player Gustaf Nilsson watched the game between Belgium and his country inside the national stadium. He wanted to show his empathy for his compatriots. Our thoughts are with the victims, their relatives and all of the Swedish people.