Recently, the news came that billionaire Carl Bennet is pausing his sponsorship of Allsvenskan football club Halmstads BK – both through his own company and the listed company Getinge, where Bennet is a major shareholder.
The reason? The Swedish financier believes that the club is not doing enough to stop pyrotechnics in the stands.
Simon Åström, who was elected as the new chairman of the Swedish Football Association on Saturday after Fredrik Reinfeldt, does not want to comment on the specific case. It is a relationship between HBK and a sponsor, Åström means.
"Great humility"
But what if it becomes a general trend?
Yes, it is naturally a consequence that can arise from things that happen in and around a club. I believe that the clubs have a great humility in the face of all the positive things that happen around football and around our clubs, so there are also challenges, says Simon Åström to TT.
Last month, IFK Göteborg announced that employees had been subjected to direct and indirect threats and harassment. The supporter group Wisemen was pointed out as guilty at Blåvitt's annual meeting.
It is absolutely not good signals. We are proud of our Swedish model and the member democracy that prevails in Swedish football. It is something we should and need to nurture, says Simon Åström.
During the final stretch of last season, scandalous scenes unfolded in Stockholm when the derby between Djurgården and Hammarby was interrupted – it was not until the day after that the match could be completed.
"Important season"
At the same time, the police note in their annual report that the order situation at the elite arenas has improved somewhat during 2024 compared to the previous year.
We were one of the few countries in Europe where we got a fairly clear directional change and where the trends have gone in the right direction, says Simon Åström and continues:
But at the same time, there are still challenges to take on and it will be an important season that comes here now.
In what way will it be important?
That we continue to see a development that goes in the right direction also this year, so that it does not become steps backward. It will be continued to be important from the goal of our matches being folk festivals, says Simon Åström.
