Saturday, November 23, 2024

Stockholm derby suspended after pyrotechnics thrown

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Djurgarden and Hammarby share the Tele2 Arena as their home stadium [Getty Images]

The Stockholm derby between Hammarby and Djurgarden was suspended until Monday after supporters were forced to leave during the second half.

Swedish police withdrew permission for the match between the two rivals to be played in front of fans at the Tele2 Arena, where fireworks were thrown from the Djurgraden end with Hammarby leading 2-0.

The players were taken off the pitch before an announcement was made that police had withdrawn the legal permission required to hold a public event at the stadium, which is shared by the two Swedish top-flight clubs.

Djurgarden later confirmed the match would be completed on Monday at 14:00 local time (13:00 BST), restarting from the 76th minute, in front of empty stands.

“The police authority has decided to dissolve a public event at Tele2 Arena today, Sunday, October 20. This follows the assessment that less invasive measures are considered insufficient,” the police said in a statement.

“The reason is that the organiser responsible for the public event is not deemed capable of guaranteeing order and safety.”

The majority of supporters quickly left the ground but some remained, chanting “we’re going nowhere”.

Lights in the stadium were turned off in an effort to get the remaining fans to leave, and it was unclear if the game would be completed on Sunday.

Djurgarden said in a statement: “The derby between Djurgarden and Hammarby was interrupted with a quarter of an hour left in the second half due to pyrotechnics being thrown onto the field.

“After a match meeting, word came that the police had dissolved the public permit, which meant that the arena had to be evacuated before the match could resume again.”

Hammarby are second in the Allsvenskan table, above Djurgarden on goal difference, with both clubs trailing leaders Malmo by 11 points.

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