Relieved, worried for some, the spectators of the Belgium-Sweden match left the King Beaudouin stadium on Monday shortly before midnight, after having been confined there for two and a half hours following an attack which cost the lives of two Swedes at Brussels.
“I was stressed, I wondered how we were going to get back, because we came by metro,” Manon Antoine, 21, explained to AFP, accompanied by her brother. The Swedish supporters were the last to leave the stadium, where some 35,000 fans of the two teams were present for this Euro-2024 football qualifying match.
Manu Leroy, head of the Belgian Football Union, explained that the police had escorted the Swedish fans and players to “visibly go straight to the airport and leave” because the perpetrator of the attack, who said to be inspired by the Islamic State, was still on the run and actively sought during the night from Monday to Tuesday.
According to investigators, the Swedish nationality of the victims is a “probable motivation” of the attacker, according to his video claim. The surroundings of the stadium, located some 5 km from the scene of the attack, were monitored by police and traffic along the enclosure had been cut off.
“The safest place”
The organizers of the meeting learned around 10 minutes before its start that “something serious had happened”, explained Manu Leroy on RTBF. “It was firstly decided that the match should start because the stadium grounds were the safest place for the fans, especially the Swedish fans so that they would be safe,” he said. he explained. But at halftime, the match was interrupted, with the score 1-1, and did not restart.
UEFA said the decision not to resume the game was taken after consultation with both teams and the Belgian authorities. “I am terribly sad. We agreed 100% not to play the second half due to the conditions and out of respect for the victims and their families,” explained the coach of the Swedish team, Janne Andersson, quoted by the Swedish agency TT.
Songs in honor of Sweden
Held inside the stadium for security reasons, the public braved the cold and the anxiety by singing songs in honor of Sweden and chanting “all together, all together!” “. Applause and olas also punctuated this long wait.
Finally, shortly before midnight, cohorts of Red Devils fans began to leave the stadium, the authorities having chosen to evacuate them from stand to stand, to avoid crowds.
“Everyone remained very calm, the supporters started singing, there was an atmosphere, even if we were a little worried,” said Karen, who came with her family from Limburg.