Advertisement

Malmö FF fined for fan's attack on football player

The Local/cg
The Local/cg - [email protected]
Malmö FF fined for fan's attack on football player

The Swedish Football Federation (SvFF) have reached their verdict about the calamitous derby match between Malmö FF and Helsingborg, having decided to award Helsingborg a 3-0 victory, whilst fining Malmö 150,000 kronor ($23,000).

Advertisement

The football match played on May 24th was called off by officials after just 30 minutes, as a firework thrown in from the stands injured Helsingborg's goalkeeper Pär Hansson, who was then attacked by a Malmö supporter who managed to run onto the pitch.

"This hurts Malmö FF quite a lot," commented Malmö's team captain Daniel Andersson to local Skånska Dagbladet newspaper, directly after the truncated match.

"A supporter should support the team; this just hurts us."

Considering the circumstances, with a supporter actually getting on the pitch and injuring a player, the football club got off lightly with the 150,000 kronor fine.

"We were prepared for it being worse, and were worried that we would have to play before empty stands," said Per Nilsson, Malmö FF's manager, to news agency TT.

"I won't say that we're pleased, but we do feel that the sentence is reasonable and fair. The disciplinary board's assessment is similar to our own."

Malmö have put forward a ten-point program with improvements, including placing a large net between the pitch and the stands.

The 19-year-old who ran onto the pitch reports through his attorney that he regrets the incident, but doesn't remember much.

"He only has vague memories; he was pretty drunk," said his attorney Magnus Lundh to TT.

The 19-year-old is charged with molestation and assault.

This has been a dramatic spring season for Swedish football.

In April, a match between teams AIK and Syrianska had to be called off after a firework from the crowd hit and injured a referee.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also