UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier fan attack

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2008 UEFA Qualifier fan attack
Parken Stadium
Location	Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark
Date	2 June 2007 21:50 (CEST)
Attack type	Assault
Perpetrator(s)	Anonymous 29-year old Dane

A fan attack occurred at the Euro 2008 qualifying match between the national football teams of Sweden and Denmark, at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen on June 2, 2007. A Danish supporter ran onto the pitch and attacked referee Herbert Fandel, after the referee had awarded Sweden a penalty in the 89th minute of the match, because Danish player Christian Poulsen had punched Swedish player Markus Rosenberg in his stomach.

The match was subsequently abandoned, and on June 8, 2007, UEFA held a hearing, awarding Sweden the match 3-0 and banning Poulsen for three competitive matches, and giving other punishments relating to Denmark international matches. The decision was appealed by the Danish Football Association^[1] and reduced on July 5, 2007. A CHF 100,000 (€66,000) fine was lowered to CHF 50,000; also, Denmark's two subsequent matches needed to be played at least 140 km (87 mi) from Copenhagen.^[2]

The match was the first ever UEFA qualifying fixture between Sweden and Denmark,^[3] and the first time a UEFA championship qualifier has been abandoned due to spectator interference.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Match

Sweden led 3-0 after 26 minutes of the Group F game, but Denmark bounced back and made the score 3-3 going into the final stages.^[4]

[edit] Poulsen-Rosenberg incident

Christian Poulsen

In the 89th minute, Denmark's Christian Poulsen and Sweden's Markus Rosenberg engaged in a tussle in the Danish penalty area; Rosenberg struck Poulsen, who in turn punched Rosenberg in the stomach.^[5] After conferring with his linesman, referee Fandel sent off Poulsen and awarded Sweden a penalty, which was never taken.^[6]

[edit] Fan attack

Seconds later, a Danish fan rushed onto the field and attacked the referee, grabbed his neck,^[7] but was intercepted by the Danish defender Michael Gravgaard shortly after this. The officials - Fandel, assistant referees and the fourth official - walked off the field, and Danish Football Association spokesman Lars Berendt within minutes announced Sweden was awarded a 3-0 victory.

[edit] Perpetrator

Immediately after the incident, some Danish news media launched unprecedented rewards petitions for information about the perpetrator. Screenshot from Ekstrabladet.dk online. It reads: "Do you know the crook? This man is responsible for the Danish loss against Sweden. If you know who he is, please write Ekstra Bladet".

The attacker was identified as a 29-year-old Dane living and working in Gothenburg, Sweden,^[8] but his name is being kept secret,^[9] due to a Danish court order.^[10] Prior to that, his full name and residential status was published in online edition of the Danish tabloid B.T.,^{[citation needed]} which, among other newspapers, ran an unprecedented petition asking the public for assistance to identify him. The Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet has identified him by the initial "R", while other news media decided not to publish his name citing "the serious threat" against him.^{[citation needed]}

The attacker stated in court that he was intoxicated by the consumption of alcohol, to a degree that he didn't recall attacking the referee. Investigators are currently preparing formal charges against the man and the Danish Football Association has decided to sue the man for the commercial damage should Danish disqualification be confirmed.^[11]

Parken Sport & Entertainment has decided to sue the man for DKK 7,000,000 (€ 940,000) for loss of ticket sales, and the Danish FA will sue the 29-year-old for DKK 1,900,000 (€ 255,000).^[12]

[edit] Aftermath

[edit] UEFA action against Danish FA

Map with approximate 140 km (87 mi) and 250 km (155 mi) radiuses from Copenhagen, with relevant stadiums shown:
• Parken, Copenhagen – the site of the incident
• Fionia Park, Odense (141 km (88 mi) from Parken) – site of a 2006 Denmark friendly match against Poland
• NRGi Park, Aarhus (147 km (91 mi) from Parken) – site of a 2006 Denmark friendly match against Paraguay; chosen as the site for the two matches
• Aalborg Stadion, Aalborg (224 km (139 mi) from Parken) – mentioned as an alternative
• Blue Water Arena, Esbjerg (261 km (162 mi) from Parken) – mentioned as the only real option within Denmark and outside the 250 km perimeter
• AOL Arena, Hamburg (288 km (179 mi) from Parken) – mentioned as an alternative outside Denmark

The result was not confirmed until an investigation by UEFA's disciplinary committee was carried out. The hearing took place on June 8, 2007 to officially confirm whether the match should be forfeited 3-0 to Sweden.^[13] The Danish Football Association (DBU) suspended ticket sales for its next two European qualifiers at Parken Stadium pending UEFA's decision. It had already sold 18,200 tickets for the September 12 match against Liechtenstein, but said it would reimburse fans if UEFA changed the venue.^[14]

On June 8, 2007 the hearing was held, awarding Sweden the match 3-0, fining Denmark CHF 100,000 (€66,000), plus the punishment that Denmark should play their next four home qualification matches (effectively the rest of the competition) at least 250 km (155 mi) away from Copenhagen, with the next match against Liechtenstein behind closed doors. Poulsen was banned for three competitive matches.^[15]

The president of the Swedish Football Association, Lars-Åke Lagrell expressed his satisfaction with the ruling calling it "a clear decision," adding that "there were no alternatives".^[16] The Danish FA immediately announced its intention to appeal.^[17] Jim Stjerne Hansen, secretary general of the DBU, said he was "shocked by the scope of the rulings," and that "It seems that they didn't look at the geography when they made their decision. Denmark is a small country."^[17]

Two of the three members of UEFA's disciplinary committee gave press interviews following the decision. Joël Wollf, General Secretary of the Luxembourg Football Federation and committee member, said:

"The 250 km (155 mi) were just to make sure that they would play away from Copenhagen. [...] My opinion is that it should be made possible for these matches to be played in Denmark. I have not seen the ruling in writing, so I don't know what it says."^[18]

Rainer Koch, German member of UEFA's disciplinary committee:

"Denmark can just play in Aalborg. They have a race track (sic) up there, don't they? [...] Well I don't know the distances in Denmark. This will be a matter of a discussion."^[18]

The distance between Aalborg and Copenhagen is 224 km (139 mi), thus it was not a viable option at the time.^[19] Aalborg Stadium does not feature a race track.^[20][21]

[edit] Final UEFA ruling

On July 5, 2007 UEFA eased the decision^[2]:

• Denmark only have to play two matches away from Copenhagen, reduced from four
• The closed-doors ban for the Liechtenstein match was lifted
• The radius from Copenhagen was only 140 km, as opposed to 250 km
• The fine was halved from 100,000 CHF to 50,000 CHF.

However, the initial 0-3-ruling of the result was upheld.

[edit] Reactions

[edit] To the match in general

His Royal Highness Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, criticized the behavior of both Christian Poulsen and the fan who attacked the referee: "It was terrible and a very embarrassing behavior on the Danish side."^[22]

[edit] To Christian Poulsen's behavior

Copenhagen police spokesperson chief inspector ^[23] Flemming Steen Munch gave the following comment:

"It is about time to set an example ... It has almost become acceptable to be violent on the pitch, but violence should not be accepted on the pitch or in society. The TV images clearly show how the Swede is punched in the stomach. My immediate opinion is that according to the penal code the act will lead to a 30 day imprisonment".^[24]

Copenhagen police chief superintendent ^[25] Per Larsen later said that all comments of possible charges were premature. "Football is a contact sport, so the starting point is that the sport's own courts should handle this," Larsen told Danish news agency Ritzau. Munch noted that it was "unusual" for violence on the field or hockey rink to be tried in a court of law.^[26] See violence in ice hockey for some exceptions.

The Danish Justice Minister, Lene Espersen, called for an involuntary national team-hiatus to be given to Christian Poulsen.^[27]

[edit] To security at the Parken Stadium

The Parken Stadium was included in UEFA's list of 4-star stadiums in 1993, making it eligible for hosting UEFA Cup finals.^[28]

After the fan attack, the level of security at the stadium was questioned, and considered further by the UEFA disciplinary committee. An editorial in the Danish daily Jyllands-Posten criticized the safety arrangements at Parken, saying it could have serious consequences for Denmark, but praised referee Fandel's decision to abandon the match.^[29]

[edit] See also

• 2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying Group F
• Denmark and Sweden football rivalry
• Roligan

[edit] External links

• FodboldFjolset (in English: the soccer fool, online game based on the incident

[edit] References