Swedish supporters had to wait for hours before being evacuated from the King Baudouin stadium.
Then they were visited by players from the national team and national team captain Janne Andersson.
– We wanted to thank everyone for everything they do, says Andersson to Fotbollskanalen.
It was shortly before kick-off in Sweden’s EC qualifier away to Belgium that reports came in regarding fatal shootings in central Brussels. Later it was confirmed that two Swedes, wearing Swedish national team jerseys, had been killed. The perpetrator was still not caught at the time, and all who followed the news coverage were alarmed and horrified by the circumstances, and the fact that the match was not broken up. But Belgian police insisted that the safest thing for Swedish supporters was to stay inside the arena, and therefore the match continued.
The national team’s gesture last night
But there was no second half. The national team, together with the Belgian police, made the decision not to play any further. Supporters were asked to remain in their seats awaiting further information, and only at midnight did the arena begin to empty. Belgian supporters must then have been allowed to leave via normal exits, but Swedish supporters were taken down into the catacombs. There followed a further wait for evacuation from the arena.
And while waiting for that, the national team chose to meet shocked supporters. According to Fotbollskanalen, Janne Andersson, and several players, have met the supporters to thank them for their efforts.
– They must not come from here. We wanted to thank everyone for everything they do, says the national team captain to Fotbollskanalen.
“Feel like us”
Goalkeeper Robin Olsen was also down to talk to the players, who, like the supporters, were shocked and taken.
– They feel the same as we do, he says of the supporters.
According to supporters on site that Fotbollskanalen spoke to, pretty much all players and managers have been down to talk to them.
– Janne spoke to us and said that they appreciate that we were here, says a supporter to the site.
The Swedish fans were evacuated with a police escort out of the arena and into buses around 04 last night, to then be taken to their hotels. At the same time, players and leaders then had to be evacuated.
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