Because what happens if the away team Djurgården enters the canceled match against Hammarby on Monday and, in front of empty stands, recovers from the 0-2 deficit to a draw or victory?
Then the fans from Djurgården’s stands who threw in bangers did not have time to be punished for their action.
But quickly controlled the development so that it sportingly benefited their team at an extremely important stage of the series.
Then Hammarby completely lost their home advantage when they lacked the support of their tens of thousands of supporters in the last quarter, although those fans had no part in what caused the police to withdraw the organizer’s permit so that Sunday’s derby was cancelled.
Then there is a precedent that fans at any time (read – when it suits their team) can have matches canceled and stands emptied.
And then we have chaos, a crisis and a nightmare for the Swedish Football Association’s disciplinary committees. For the clubs’ organization Swedish elite football, Sef. And for the clubs.
These different parts of Swedish football should rule the men’s league – but has long since let the series become like a student-led lesson without a teacher. The supporters who create the party also decide how calm it should be.
It was not the organizations just mentioned that ensured that 2024 was for a long time a significantly better year than 2023 in terms of crowd disturbances. They were supporter groups who decided together last spring that there would be no bangers thrown or pyrotechnics fired at other stands.
That was praised in some quarters, but mostly showed how vulnerable the situation was. It is enough for a few figures to do what they want on a stand and the fine agreement collapses.
And very true.
The problems with the illegal pyrotechnics have increased during the autumn and several matches have been cancelled.
The presenter Tommy Åström said in the derby broadcast in Max that several people were injured when pyrotechnics were thrown during the recent IFK Göteborg–Gais derby. And according to the police, one person was injured on Sunday.
So when Swedish football’s collective anger is directed at the actions of the police, it may be time to point out:
The illegal pyrotechnics do not come from the police.
However, there have been two strange decisions from the police during the autumn.
Just over three weeks ago, police entered Sirius’s home when flares were lit. Despite the fact that police officers don’t usually go up in heels because it can make the situation worse and despite the fact that Sirius doesn’t have a reputation for having a problem heel.
And now the police took the organizer’s license from Hammarby. Despite the fact that this was one of the quietest derbies in a long time and despite the fact that “everyone” knew that fans of Djurgården would take some action if the team was about to lose another derby. I don’t need to put on a tinfoil hat to feel that the police wanted a chance to set an example and put pressure on the organizing club.
But if “everyone” knew it was going to happen, friends of order are probably wondering why “nobody” could stop it.
Another point of view I received during Sunday evening is that the match should have been broken and that Hammarby should have been awarded the victory.
The problem with the completely adequate point of view is that those parts of Swedish football that should control the men’s league but do not want the matches to be played at all costs.
And that it is often difficult to determine which supporters have created the most disturbances.
In the best of worlds, Hammarby had managed to get a permit to arrange the Monday quarter only with home fans. This is already how the matches are played when AIK and Djurgården meet each other in hockey.
