A huge scandal unfolded at Gamla Ullevi between IFK Göteborg and Öster in the men's Allsvenskan football league.
After about an hour of play, a supporter entered the pitch and attacked an Öster player.
The match was temporarily interrupted and a long match meeting was held to decide whether the match should be resumed – which was also the case.
"Wanted to go home"
Öster's coach Martin Foyston told before the match started again that they did not want to go out on the pitch, but risked losing if they refused.
I am really upset, same with the players. We really wanted to go home, but if we did, we would have lost 3–0. That we should lose 3–0? A tragic day for Swedish football.
He continues:
had the chance as a football association, as a nation, to set a standard and an example, but we didn't take it. Such a thing may not happen next week, but it can happen again. And we had the chance as a football league to say that this is unacceptable behavior.
"Not feeling well"
The scandalous scenes unfolded in the second half when "Blåvitt" was trailing 0–1.
The spectator ran in from the home team's stand and had a Göteborg scarf on, whereupon he tried to direct a blow at Sebastian Starke Hedlund in the away team, who discovered the man in the nick of time and managed to avoid a hit.
Sebastian is not feeling well, says Foyston about Starke Hedlund, and continues:
The players had a meeting just now. You have to take into consideration the human aspect first in this. Football is not important on a day like this, but rather safety is more important.
The whole football world will have their eyes on this match and event, where we could have used it to say that this is not okay.
After the directed blow, the man tried to flee from the security guards but was caught and apprehended.
During the remaining minutes played, there were no more goals and Öster thus won 1–0. Starke Hedlund completed the entire match.
