SWEDEN captain Victor Lindelof says there is “no reason” to replay the match against Belgium after two fans were shot dead in a suspected terrorist attack.
Two men, both believed to be wearing Sweden shirts, were gunned down in the street before the game in Brussels.
The match was abandoned at half-time after Sweden players decided not to resume the game – Belgium agreed with the scoreline 1-1 after Romelu Lukaku cancelled out Viktor Gyokeres’ strike.
Now Manchester United star Lindelof has called for the nullified result to stand as Belgium have already qualified for Euro 2024, while it is mathematically impossible for Sweden to do so.
He said: “Belgium are already qualified and we don’t have the opportunity to get to the European Championship, so I see no reason to play [replay the game].”
Sweden fans were held behind for hours as police and security evacuated the stadium.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
Both fans and players received a police escort with Sweden stars travelling directly to the airport.
Sweden boss Janne Andersson was told the horrific news at half-time and he revealed he and his players agreed they would not continue the game out of respect for the victims’ families.
He said: “When I came down for the break, I got this information. Immediately, I felt that it was completely unreal. What kind of world do we live in today?
“I came into the locker room and when the team started talking we agreed 100 per cent that we didn’t want to play on out of respect for the victims and their families.
Most read in Football
Asked if the match will be replayed, Andersson responded: “Only time will tell. It is surreal what happened.
“The players quickly knew at half time that the situation was serious, but first we had to get confirmation of the facts.
“As for the Belgian players: Everyone was allowed to leave as agreed. Some went home, others to the players’ hotel.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
