FORMER Brentford and Leeds defender Pontus Jansson has been suspended by Swedish side Malmo after allegedly telling fans where their opponents were staying.
A preliminary investigation has found contact between the centre-back, 33, and one of the team’s “violent supporter factions”.
This was discovered when 14 Malmo hooligans were arrested after a fight with Djurgarden supporters in which tables, chairs and flares were thrown, while gunshots were also allegedly involved.
Jansson, who is accused of being in a group chat with the violent fans, is alleged to have revealed information about where opponents Elfsborg were staying before their “golden match” last year.
As a result, Afton Bladet are reporting he has agreed with Malmo to sit out of their league match against IF Brommapojkarna on Saturday.
It is understood Elfsborg moved their overnight stay from Bastad to Helsingborg after the sensitive information was shared.
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Due to the circumstances, they went to the new hotel in a neutral bus after consultation with police.
Fireworks were still set off outside the Helsingborg establishment, waking some players up.
However, Elfsborg’s former head of security, Jonas Livered, claims nothing of a serious nature took place.
Meanwhile, Jansson, who returned for a second stint with Malmo last summer, has apologised for distributing the information.
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The Swedish defender said: “Everyone knows that I have a great commitment to Malmo FF and the support for the association and the team.
“When the results failed in 2022, I played in England and was then invited to a chat group where Malmo FF was discussed.
“My intentions were purely good, I wanted to see if there was any way I could contribute to strengthening support for the team and help turn the team’s performance around.”
He went on to add: “In retrospect, I fully understand that I was in a context that I should not have been a part of.
“I should have left the group, which I have now done, already when I returned to Malmo FF last summer.
“This is also why, when I found out what suspicions there were against others in the group, I immediately turned to the association.”
The 14 Malmo hooligans recently arrested will be charged next week with crimes such as violent rioting and attempted robbery.
Jansson, who has 27 caps for Sweden, played 120 games across three seasons with Leeds in the Championship.
He joined Brentford in 2019 and racked up 115 games for the West London club, earning promotion to the Premier League through the play-offs in 2021.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
