UEFA Opt Against Replay Of Abandoned EURO 2024 Qualifier Between Belgium And Sweden
UEFA have announced that the EURO 2024 qualifier between Belgium and Sweden which was abandoned on Monday will not be replayed.
A deadrubber EURO 2024 qualifying game involving the two teams at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels was abandoned at half time when the score was 1-1 after news emerged that two supporters from the visiting side had been shot dead by a terrorist shortly before kick off.
UEFA say the scoreline before the break will be considered as the final result with both teams taking home a point each.
Leaders Belgium have already qualified for the tournament in Germany while Sweden trail second placed Austria by nine points with a game to spare.
"Each team is awarded one point with the Group F standings to be updated accordingly," Uefa stated.
"Any suspension is considered served and single yellow cards remain valid.
"To 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.
"Both 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.
"The 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.
"The 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."
On Tuesday, a 45-year-old Tunisian national believed to be the attacker, identified as Abdesalem Lassoued, was apprehended and shot dead by police forces at a cafe in the Schaerbeek neighbourhood.
