Traveling fans of Swedish football club IFK G\u00f6teborg vandalized facilities at the Lillek\u00fcla Stadium in Tallinn Thursday night, continuing the spree in the city center too.<\/p>\n
The visiting G\u00f6teborg fans were in Tallinn for the second leg of the UEFA Conference League\u00a0second qualifying round\u00a0against FCI\u00a0Levadia.<\/p>\n
Traveling fans of the Swedish club, who numbered around 2,000, vandalized two bathroom facilities in the zone allocated to them, leaving them seriously damaged, with doors ripped off their hinges, ceiling panels removed, and graffiti sprayed. Several seats in the stands were also broken.<\/p>\n
“The material damage is significant in any case, but it is still difficult to assess its exact extent,” said Martti Kallas, a public relations specialist at the Estonian Football Association (EJL).<\/p>\n
Kallas said the vandals acted indiscriminately. The organization has contacted the police over the incident, while a UEFA delegate documented the damage after the match.<\/p>\n
Swedish police and football club security personnel were also present in the G\u00f6teborg fans’ zone of the North Stand during the match, and along with the ground’s security manager, they also inspected the damage.<\/p>\n
Kallas said when vandalism occurs at a stadium, the costs are generally covered by the club whose fans caused the damage, particularly if the police are unable to identify the individuals responsible.<\/p>\n
Given the\u00a0number\u00a0of spectators at the match, Kallas said observing everything going on was challenging, and he exonerated the policing authorities, while noting incidents were not entirely unexpected.<\/p>\n
“The law enforcement officers did nothing wrong, as nobody goes into a crowd of people to restore order during a match,” Kallas noted. The Swedish police’s main aim was to ensure that the G\u00f6teborg fans remained in their designated area.<\/p>\n
Delfi reported\u00a0<\/a>that\u00a0rampaging IFK G\u00f6teborg fans committed various acts of vandalism in the streets neighboring the Lillek\u00fcla Stadium, also known as the A. Le Coq Arena, as well as in the Old Town. These included graffiti, smashed windows and damage to street decorations; signs, windows, and other surfaces were plastered with stickers with the club’s colors and logo.<\/p>\n IFK G\u00f6teborg won 4-3 on aggregate on the night<\/a>, having come back from a one-goal deficit after the first leg in Gothenburg.<\/p>\n Issues have arisen with visiting Swedish football fans in the recent past as well. Last year, AIK Stockholm fans damaged the Kadriorg Stadium’s tartan athletics track with pyrotechnics during a match against Paide Linnameeskond. This resulted in a UEFA \u20ac25,000 fine for AIK Stockholm plus a \u20ac5,000 fine in respect of damage to the stadium, and a suspended one-match ban for away fans.<\/p>\n —<\/p>\n Follow ERR News on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a> and never miss an update!<\/p>\n