Swedish league match abandoned after death of fan
7REUTERS
"I can confirm that a person has died at Helsingborg Hospital. He was brought there after an incident at Karntrappan in central Helsingborg," police spokesperson Ewa-Gun Westford told website Fotbollskanalen (www.fotbollskanalen.se).
The incident occurred about a half an hour before kickoff on the opening weekend of the Swedish league.
Rumours of the 40-year-old's death spread through the terraces about 40 minutes into the match, prompting Djurgarden fans to storm on to the pitch.
Referee Martin Hansson took the players off in the 42nd minute and a tense standoff between police, security staff and fans ensued.
A decision was taken to abandon the game with the score tied at 1-1, shortly before the police confirmed the man had died.
Football in the normally peaceful Scandinavian country has long been plagued by violent incidents, with several matches being abandoned in recent years due to pitch invasions and fireworks being thrown on to the field.
The incident occurred about a half an hour before kickoff on the opening weekend of the Swedish league.
Rumours of the 40-year-old's death spread through the terraces about 40 minutes into the match, prompting Djurgarden fans to storm on to the pitch.
Referee Martin Hansson took the players off in the 42nd minute and a tense standoff between police, security staff and fans ensued.
A decision was taken to abandon the game with the score tied at 1-1, shortly before the police confirmed the man had died.
Football in the normally peaceful Scandinavian country has long been plagued by violent incidents, with several matches being abandoned in recent years due to pitch invasions and fireworks being thrown on to the field.