Abandoned Belgium-Sweden match declared draw after shooting،
UEFA announced on Thursday that the result of the European Championship qualifying match between Belgium and Sweden, abandoned this week after the death of two Swedish fans before kick-off, would stand.
The match was stopped at halftime with a score of 1-1. The Belgian and Swedish federations had requested that this result be retained as the final result.
“The Belgian and Swedish Football Federations are satisfied with the decision,” the Belgian federation said in a statement.
UEFA stated that “the result of this match has no impact on qualification from Group F.” Belgium had already qualified for the tournament which will take place in Germany next year before facing Sweden.
Belgium leads the group ahead of Austria, who also secured their qualification for the Euro.
“Football should be a celebration but on Monday evening, a cowardly act decided otherwise. At a time like this, when the football family is struck to the heart, sporting results are secondary.” said Manu Leroy, interim CEO of the Belgian Federation.
Investigators are still trying to determine the motive for the attack on Monday evening, which occurred not far from the King Baudouin stadium where the qualification took place.
Authorities in the Belgian capital shot dead the suspect on Tuesday, hours after he claimed he shot three Swedish fans, killing two of them. He posted a video online in which he claimed responsibility for the attack and said the Quran was “a red line for which he is willing to sacrifice.
“We are happy to learn that UEFA has made a decision and that this decision is in line with the wishes of both federations,” said Håkan Sjöstrand, the CEO of the Swedish federation. “However, sporting issues are secondary, our thoughts are with the victims and their families. That innocent Swedish fans have become targets of terrorism is shocking and it is difficult to predict what the consequences will be for the future.”
A minute of silence will be observed during the matches in Belgium and Sweden in tribute to the two deceased supporters.
The Belgian league said that “the next match day will begin with a minute of silence in honor of the two Swedish football fans who lost their lives during the terrorist attack in Brussels. This minute of silence will take place on the Belgian and Swedish football fields.
