Last updated: 10:44 BST, 17 October 2023
Belgium’s EURO2024 qualifying clash against Sweden on Monday was abandoned after a suspected terrorist attack on Bruxelles’ Boulevard d’Ypres left two Swedish fans dead.
Viktor Gyökeres had opened the scoring at Roi Baudouin after fifteen minutes, though the Red Devils levelled the match just after the half-hour mark when Romelu Lukaku fired home from the penalty spot.
But according to Sweden’s TV6, the Blågult informed UEFA that they would not contest the second half – and with the agreement of the Belgian side, the match was abandoned.
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. Further communication will be made in…
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) October 16, 2023
As reported by Belgium’s RTBF, home supporters within the stadium were permitted to leave, with evacuations taking place one block at a time since 23:45 local time (22:45 BST). Given that Swedish nationals appeared to be the target of this attack, they were given a police escort to guide them to safety.
Swedish fans had been advised to disguise their nationality by removing any clothing that may identify them as Swedish nationals. RTBF understands that the Swedish National Team were escorted to the airport directly.
Embed from Getty ImagesAgence France-Presse have been informed by the Belgian Federal Prosecutor’s Office that a terrorism probe has been opened, although the national police have confirmed that they are not currently exploring a link with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Belgian authorities announced on Tuesday that they had fired shots in the Schaerbeek region of the city, and that the suspect had been taken to intensive care as a result of his injuries. He has since been confirmed dead.
