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Sweden national coach Janne Andersson has chimed in on the suspension of the UEFA EURO 2024 Belgium qualifying match. Andersson was in disbelief when he found out about the suspension, per ESPN.
“When I came down from the break, I got this information. Immediately, I felt that it was completely unreal. What kind of world do we live in today?” Janne Andersson said on Monday.
“I came into the locker room and when the team started talking we agreed 100 percent that we didn't want to play on out of respect for the victims and their families,” Andersson continued.
UEFA suspended the match after halftime after two Swedish nationals were murdered in Brussels on Monday. Consequently, Belgium was on high terror alert on that day. A suspect posted a video on social media. He insisted he was the assailant who hails from the Islamic State group.
UEFA issued a statement on its official website following the incident.
“Following a suspected terrorist attack in Brussels this evening, it has been decided after consultation with the two teams and the local police authorities, that the UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying match between Belgium and Sweden is abandoned.”
The Swedish players informed UEFA they did not want to resume play in the second half. Their opponents agreed. They played at King Baudouin Stadium which was just three miles from the murder scene. Sweden and Belgium were tied 1-1 at halftime.
UEFA EURO 2024 will kick off next summer
The UEFA EURO 2024 qualifiers have produced plenty of drama in recent weeks. Disappointed fans booed Manchester City forward Erling Haaland of Norway after he left the pitch without signing autographs in June. Haaland waved briefly before heading back to the dugout following Norway's 2-1 loss to Scotland.
Several nations have already qualified for UEFA EURO 2024 next summer. These countries include host Germany, Belgium, France, Portugal, Spain, Scotland, and Turkey.
