Tonight, the Swedish women’s national team faces Switzerland in the Nations league.
The match is the first since the terrorist attack in Brussels and security is heightened.
– I have seen a lot of police with reinforcement weapons, says TV4 sport’s Max Grindal, on the spot at Ullevi.
On October 16, the Swedish national team was in Brussels to face Belgium in the European Championship qualifiers – but the evening was not about football.
The terrorist Abdesalem Lassoueds opened fire and three Swedish supporters were hit. Two of them died.
On Friday evening, a first international match will be played since the crime occurred. The Swedish ladies are chasing a place in the Olympics and will face Switzerland, at home in Ullevi. Ahead of the match, security in Gothenburg has been increased.
– We don’t talk about all the measures we take, there are reasons for that in the security industry.
First a full-scale visitation, bag check, ticket check and then x number of percent of the visitors will have to go through an airport check, said Martin Fredman, security manager for the Swedish Football Association, earlier this week.
Focus on profit
The support sports reporter Max Grindal has met focuses primarily on sports, he tells Efter fem.
– Although I have seen a lot of police with so-called reinforcement weapons and lots of guards, the fans are probably only thinking about the sport. How important it is that Sweden wins against Switzerland tonight and still has a hold on this Olympic place, he says.
Grinndal believes that it is clear that more effort than usual has been put in place.
– When I arrived at the final training session yesterday, there were two helicopters in the air. I had to hand over my camera bag so that the security staff could go through it, says Max Grinndal and continues:
– You don’t want to leave anything to chance. It is palpable that people feel that the security situation is tightened here in Gothenburg.
Sweden lost against Spain in the first match and is therefore behind in the hunt for an Olympic place. Victory against Switzerland is probably a must if the chance to reach the championship in Paris is to survive.
The match starts at 18.30.