Euro 2024: Swedish followers informed to not put on nationwide colors overseas after two supporters shot useless in focused assault

Followers of Sweden’s soccer groups might be suggested towards carrying clothes in nationwide colors once they journey overseas within the wake of the killing of two Swedish supporters earlier than a European Championship qualifying match in Belgium. 

No less than one of many males shot useless within the incident in Brussels on Monday was carrying a Swedish soccer jersey.

The followers acquired out of a taxi not removed from King Baudouin Stadium, which hosted the Belgium-Sweden match, and had been chased right into a constructing earlier than being gunned down by a Tunisian nationwide who posted a video on-line saying the Quran was “a purple line for which he is able to sacrifice himself”.

Sweden not too long ago raised its terror alert to the second-highest degree in August after a sequence of public Quran burnings by an Iraqi refugee dwelling within the nation resulted in threats from Islamic militant teams.

At a information convention in Stockholm, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson mentioned “all the things signifies this can be a terrorist assault towards Sweden and Swedish residents, simply because they’re Swedish”.

Martin Fredman, head of safety for the Swedish soccer federation, mentioned on Tuesday that followers making journeys overseas might be suggested to not put on the blue and yellow apparel related to the nation’s sports activities groups.

“It is the case {that a} perpetrator has focused Swedish residents,” Mr Fredman mentioned.

“So it will be reprehensible to not go along with a advice that we should always keep away from [Swedish team clothing] once we are out on journeys like this.”

Mr Fredman mentioned he hadn’t acquired any such recommendation from Belgian authorities earlier than Monday’s match.

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Sweden’s Nationwide Sports activities Confederation, a physique that oversees the varied sports activities associations within the nation, on Tuesday revealed an inventory of “preventative measures” for followers travelling overseas for sporting occasions.

Amongst them was the “extent one ought to be uncovered to Swedish paraphernalia”.

Sweden’s gamers returned to their golf equipment on Tuesday after taking an in a single day flight following the suspension of their match towards Belgium at halftime, by which period information had filtered by way of in regards to the shootings.

The Sweden squad went on to the airport as soon as they had been allowed to depart the stadium, which was locked down for 2 and a half hours earlier than officers started an evacuation course of round midnight.

The final of the Swedish supporters — totalling about 650, in line with the Swedish soccer federation — left the stadium at about 4am below police surveillance, together with some employees from the federation.