By Philip O’Connor
STOLCHOLM (Reuters) -Swedish police took the unusual decision to withdraw permission for Djurgarden’s match against Hammarby to be played in front of fans during the second half, which led to spectators having to immediately vacate the Tele2 Arena.
Home side Djurgarden conceded a goal to go 2-0 down to their bitter rivals in the 76th minute, resulting in fireworks being thrown from the Djurgraden end onto the pitch and interrupting the game.
The players and officials left the pitch, and around 50 minutes later came the announcement that the police had withdrawn the legal permission required to hold a public event, and that fans would have to leave the ground immediately.
“The police authority has decided to dissolve a public event at Tele2 Arena today, Sunday, October 20. This follows the assessment that less invasive measures are considered insufficient,” the police said in a statement.
“The reason is that the organiser responsible for the public event is not deemed capable of guaranteeing order and safety.”
The vast majority of fans quickly left the ground, where both the Stockholm rivals play their home games, but pockets of fans have stayed on, some chanting “we’re going nowhere” as police and security personnel tried to get them to move.
Lights in the stadium were turned off in an effort to get the remaining fans to leave, and it was unclear if the game would be completed on Sunday.
(Reporting by Philip O’Connor)
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