{"id":112613,"date":"2023-10-20T10:57:28","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T10:57:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/10\/20\/no-replay-for-games-abandoned-in-terror-alert\/"},"modified":"2023-10-20T10:57:28","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T10:57:28","slug":"no-replay-for-games-abandoned-in-terror-alert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2023\/10\/20\/no-replay-for-games-abandoned-in-terror-alert\/","title":{"rendered":"No replay for games abandoned in terror alert"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Sweden fans were trying to find out details of the shooting as Monday’s game was in progress
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Sweden\u2019s match against Belgium, abandoned on Monday amid a terror alert in Brussels, will not have to be replayed, Uefa has ruled.<\/p>\n

The Euro 2024 qualifier was\u00a0abandoned\u00a0at half-time for security reasons with the score 1-1.<\/p>\n

Two Swedish nationals\u00a0had been shot dead in the Belgian capital earlier on Monday.<\/p>\n

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European football\u2019s governing body said the result at the half-time interval was \u201cconfirmed as final\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach team is awarded one point with the Group F standings to be updated accordingly,\u201d Uefa added.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny suspension is considered served and single yellow cards remain valid.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two victims were in Brussels to watch their national side play Belgium, Swedish football officials said.<\/p>\n

A third Sweden fan was seriously injured in the attack, which the authorities have said was a \u201cterror attack targeting Sweden and Swedish citizens\u201d.<\/p>\n

The 45-year-old man behind the attack was\u00a0shot dead by police\u00a0on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Monday\u2019s game started while the gunman was still at large because Belgian authorities and police considered the stadium \u2013 5km (three miles) from the location of the shooting \u2013 \u201cthe safest place\u201d.<\/p>\n

At that point a large-scale manhunt was under way and Belgium raised its terror alert to the highest level.<\/p>\n

The match was halted at half-time once players and staff learned of the shootings, and supporters were asked to remain in the stadium. An evacuation started at about 22:45 BST, with the last fans and staff leaving at 04:00 local time.<\/p>\n

Some 400 Sweden fans were then\u00a0placed under police protection\u00a0in hotels in the city before making their way home. Sweden\u2019s football federation has set up emergency help and support lines for those caught up in the incident.<\/p>\n

Speaking after the game, Sweden captain and Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof said there was \u201cno reason\u201d to replay the game as Belgium have qualified for next summer\u2019s Euro 2024 tournament and Sweden can no longer do so.<\/p>\n

Uefa said on Thursday: \u201cTo take the mentioned decision, the Executive Committee took note that it had proved impossible to play the remaining part of the match on the following day.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth the Royal Belgian Football Association and the Swedish Football Association, given the circumstances, explicitly expressed their desire not to play the remaining match time and to consider the result at the half-time interval (1-1) as final.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe result of this match does not impact the qualification of Group F since Belgium is already mathematically qualified to the UEFA EURO 2024 final tournament (together with Austria) and Sweden is mathematically eliminated.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe respective fixtures do not allow any date to be used in the upcoming November international window, when the preliminary group stage of the competition must be concluded, to be followed by the play-off draw and final tournament draw.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the governing body has confirmed that \u201cno Uefa competition matches shall be played in Israel until further notice\u201d because of the ongoing\u00a0Israel-Hamas conflict.<\/p>\n

Uefa said: \u201cThe Israel Football Association and its clubs Maccabi Haifa FC and Maccabi Tel-Aviv have been requested to propose alternative venues\/stadiums (which must comply with all applicable UEFA regulations) outside the territory of Israel for their home matches to be used for as long as this decision remains in force.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Tel Aviv were scheduled to play in the Europa League and Europa Conference respectively on 26 October.<\/p>\n

Haifa\u2019s trip to Villarreal has been postponed until 6 December with Tel Aviv\u2019s encounter with Zorya Luhansk set for 25 November.<\/p>\n

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