Europe and Sweden are experiencing the most serious security policy situation since the Second World War.
This was recently emphasized by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. The USA's complete turnaround in foreign policy under Donald Trump and the unpredictable policy the president is pursuing pose new and entirely different demands on Europe's defense capabilities.
Russia is pointed out as the major threat.
Hungary, under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and the ruling party Fidesz, stands for a Russia-friendly policy. When Orbán, as part of the Hungarian EU presidency, traveled to Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin last year, it sparked strong reactions within the EU. Prime Minister Kristersson was sharp in his criticism.
Sensitive?
So how sensitive was it to book a national team match against Hungary in Budapest on June 6?
National team manager Stefan Pettersson understands if one or two question the choice of opponent considering the security policy situation in Europe.
I naturally align with the leadership, all the way up to the general secretary and everything, on how they view things.
Were there any discussions about choosing not to play against Hungary?
No, not in that way.
"Not so simple"
Do you understand if you receive criticism?
We can perhaps understand that people have opinions about our choices, but it's not so simple that we can choose exactly who we want to meet. There are a lot of parameters that come into play. From a purely sporting perspective, this is a good opponent. A fun match to play away. They almost always have a full house for every match.
It's a fantastic feeling to get to play such matches.
In the Swedish national team, Viktor Gyökeres, Sebastian Nanasi, and Anton Salétros have Hungarian roots.
Was it precisely because of this that Hungary wanted to meet you?
It's not something I know, but maybe it was something that they thought was fun, says Stefan Pettersson.
A second national team match in June is planned, a few days after the visit to Puskás Aréna in Budapest.
We're discussing with a few nations and then we'll see where it lands. It will hopefully be clear soon. We're aiming to have the match at home on June 10, says Pettersson.
