Denmark v Sweden (UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying)

Football match

Denmark v Sweden (2007)

The Parken Stadium in Copenhagen hosted the match

Event| UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
Group F
Matchday 8
| Denmark | Sweden

|

0 | 3
Match abandoned at 3–3 after 89 minutes
Sweden awarded 3–0 victory[note 1]
Date| 2 June 2007 (2007-06-02)
Venue| Parken Stadium, Copenhagen
Referee| Herbert Fandel (Germany)
Attendance| 42,083
Weather| Scattered clouds
15 °C (59 °F)
73% humidity

A fan attack occurred at the Euro 2008 qualifying Group F match between the national football teams of Sweden and Denmark, at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen on 2 June 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 and sent off Danish midfielder Christian Poulsen for punching Swedish striker Markus Rosenberg in the stomach.

The match was subsequently abandoned, and on 8 June 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 5 July 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 kilometres (87 mi) from Copenhagen.[2]

The match was the first ever UEFA qualifying fixture between rivals Sweden and Denmark,[3] and the first time a UEFA championship qualifier or any qualifier was abandoned due to spectator interference.[4][5][6]

## Summary[edit]

2008 UEFA qualifier fan attack

Location| Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark
Date| 2 June 2007
21:50 (CEST)
Target| Herbert Fandel

Attack type

| Assault
Perpetrator| Ronni Nörvig[7][8][9][10]

Sweden were leading 3–0 after 26 minutes of the Group F game, but Denmark had fought back to 3–3 before the incident occurred.[11]

### Poulsen–Rosenberg incident[edit]

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.[12][13][14] After conferring with his assistant referee, referee Fandel sent off Poulsen and awarded Sweden a penalty, which was never taken.[15]

### Fan attack[edit]

Seconds later, a Danish fan rushed onto the field and attacked the referee, grabbed his neck,[16] but was intercepted by the Danish defender Michael Gravgaard shortly after. Immediately following this, Fandel and his officiating crew walked off the field, and Danish Football Association spokesman Lars Berendt within minutes announced Sweden was awarded a 3–0 victory.[17][18] After both teams left the pitch a second Danish fan took the ball from the penalty spot and ran across the stadium before scoring in Sweden's empty net. Shortly before the announcement a third fan ran across the pitch.

### Perpetrator[edit]

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 Denmark's loss against Sweden. If you know who he is, please write to Ekstra Bladet".

The attacker was identified as a 29-year-old Dane named Ronni Nörvig in German media[7] (a transcription of his actual name, Ronni Nørvig), living and working in Gothenburg, Sweden.[19] Publication of his name in Denmark was censored,[20] due to a Danish court order.[21] Prior to that, his full name and residential status was published in online edition of the Danish tabloid B.T., 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.

## Aftermath[edit]

### UEFA action against Danish FA[edit]

Map with approximate 140 and 250 km (87 and 155 mi) radii from Copenhagen, with relevant stadiums shown:

* Parken, Copenhagen – the site of the incident
* Fionia Park, Odense (141 km or 88 mi from Parken) – site of a 2006 Denmark friendly match against Poland
* NRGi Park, Aarhus (147 km or 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 or 139 mi from Parken) – mentioned as an alternative
* Blue Water Arena, Esbjerg (261 km or 162 mi from Parken) – mentioned as the only real option within Denmark and outside the 250 km (160 mi) perimeter
* AOL Arena, Hamburg (288 km or 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 8 June 2007 to officially confirm whether the match should be forfeited 3–0 to Sweden as Lars Berendt previously stated.[22] 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 12 September match against Liechtenstein, but said it would reimburse fans if UEFA changed the venue.[23]

On 8 June 2007, the hearing was held, afterward, they awarded Sweden a 3–0 win, fining Denmark CHF 100,000 (€66,000), plus the punishment that Denmark should play their next four home qualification matches (the rest of qualifiers) at least 250 kilometres (160 mi) away from Copenhagen, with the next match against Liechtenstein behind closed doors. Poulsen was banned for three competitive matches.[24][25][26]

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".[27] The Danish FA immediately announced its intention to appeal.[28] 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."[28]

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 kilometers 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.[29]

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.[29]

The distance between Aalborg and Copenhagen is 224 kilometres (139 mi), thus it was not a viable option at the time.[30] Aalborg Stadium does not feature a race track.[31][32]

### Final UEFA ruling[edit]

On 5 July 2007 UEFA released the following statement:[33]

The Appeals Body replaced the original verdict of the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body and its decision was final: Sweden were awarded a 3–0 win by default; the DBU was fined CHF50,000 (€30,222); and the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen was closed for four official competition matches involving the senior national team. From this third sanction, two games were deferred for a probationary period of two years. The world governing body FIFA was notified about the deferred sanction and the period of probation. In addition, the requirement to play the next two games at least 250 kilometres (160 mi) from Copenhagen was reduced to 140 kilometres (87 mi).[2]

## Reactions[edit]

### To the match in general[edit]

Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, criticized the behaviour of both Christian Poulsen and the fan who attacked the referee: "It was terrible and a very embarrassing behavior on the Danish side."[34]

### To Christian Poulsen's behaviour[edit]

Copenhagen police spokesperson chief inspector 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.[35]

Copenhagen police chief superintendent 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.[36] 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.[37]

### To security at the Parken Stadium[edit]

The Parken Stadium was included in UEFA's list of 4-star stadiums in 1993, making it eligible for hosting UEFA Cup finals.[38]

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.[39]

### To the perpetrator[edit]

The attacker stated in court that he was intoxicated by the consumption of alcohol, to a degree that he could not recall attacking the referee. The criminal court dealt out a suspended sentence of 30 days in prison. The prosecution appealed to the High Court of Eastern Denmark, which changed the sentence to 20 days, which had to be served.[40]

The DBU first decided to sue the man for the commercial damage should Danish disqualification be confirmed.[41]

Parken Sport & Entertainment first announced its decision 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).[42] That decision was later reverted on the advice of counsel. However, following the outcome of the criminal trial against the culprit, both Parken and Danish FA did go through with a law suit against him with those amounts.

Ultimately, only the DBU sued for just over DKK 1.6 million (€215,000). The verdict was given on 18 November 2009 in favour of the DBU, but only gave them DKK 900,000 (€120,000), because of the inadequate security at Parken.[43] The FA said it was "very satisfied" with the verdict,[44] while it reportedly "shocked" the perpetrator.[45] Following the conviction, the perpetrator and the DBU reached an agreement in which the fine was lowered to DKK 250,000 (€35,000).[46]

## Match[edit]

2 June 2007 (2007-06-02)

20:00 CEST

Denmark | 0–3
Awarded[note 1]|  Sweden

|
|

* Agger 34'
* Tomasson 62'
* Andreasen 75'

| Report |

* Elmander 7', 26'
* Hansson 23'

Parken Stadium, Copenhagen

Attendance: 42,083

Referee: Herbert Fandel (Germany)

Denmark

Sweden

|

|  |

|

GK | 1 | Thomas Sørensen
RB | 6 | Lars Jacobsen
CB | 4 | Daniel Agger
CB | 3 | Michael Gravgaard
LB | 2 | Christian Poulsen |  89'
CM | 5 | Jan Kristiansen |  |  35'
CM | 7 | Daniel Jensen |  |  63'
RW | 11 | Dennis Rommedahl
AM | 8 | Thomas Kahlenberg |  |  46'
LW | 10 | Martin Jørgensen
CF | 9 | Jon Dahl Tomasson (c)
Substitutions:
DF | 12 | Leon Andreasen |  77' |  35'
FW | 19 | Nicklas Bendtner |  |  46'
FW | 15 | Jesper Grønkjær |  |  63'
Manager:
Morten Olsen
|  |  |

|

GK | 1 | Andreas Isaksson
RB | 5 | Niclas Alexandersson |  44'
CB | 3 | Olof Mellberg
CB | 4 | Petter Hansson
LB | 2 | Mikael Nilsson
RM | 7 | Christian Wilhelmsson
CM | 6 | Tobias Linderoth |  84'
CM | 8 | Anders Svensson
LM | 9 | Freddie Ljungberg (c)
CF | 10 | Marcus Allbäck |  |  80'
CF | 11 | Johan Elmander |  38' |  74'
Substitutions:
FW | 18 | Markus Rosenberg |  |  74'
MF | 16 | Kennedy Bakircioglu |  |  80'
Manager:
Lars Lagerbäck

Assistant referees:
Carsten Kadach (Germany)
Volker Wezel (Germany)
Fourth official:
Florian Meyer (Germany)

Match rules

* 90 minutes.
* Maximum of three substitutions.

|

## See also[edit]

* UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group F
* Denmark–Sweden football rivalry
* Roligan

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ a b The Denmark v Sweden match was abandoned in the 89th minute with the score at 3–3, following a fan attack on the referee.[22] UEFA awarded the match as a 3–0 forfeit win to Sweden following a hearing on 8 June 2007.[25]

## References[edit]

1. ^ UEFA.com (2007-06-11). "Denmark appeal UEFA verdicts | UEFA EURO". UEFA.com. Retrieved 2023-11-21.
2. ^ a b "UEFA mildner Danmarks straf". TV2 website (in Danish). 5 July 2007. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
3. ^ "Nordic neighbors resume rivalry". UEFA. 2 June 2007. Archived from the original on 3 June 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
4. ^ "Denmark-Sweden game abandoned after fan attacks referee". Reuters. 2007-08-09. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
5. ^ "Sweden awarded abandoned UEFA clash". Brisbane Times. 2007-06-08. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
6. ^ "Soccer-UEFA to decide on Denmark-Sweden abandonment". Reuters. 2007-08-09. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
7. ^ a b "Fan stürmte Fußball-Spielfeld: 120.000 Euro Strafe". DiePresse.com (in German). 18 November 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
8. ^ "Izbruh jeze Danca hudo udaril po žepu". Prvi interaktivni multimedijski portal, MMC RTV Slovenija (in Slovenian). Retrieved 4 May 2016.
9. ^ Interview with Danish hooligan (Denmark-Sweden) (in Danish). 9 June 2007. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 4 May 2016 - via YouTube.
10. ^ "Félbeszakadt miatta a meccs, 32 milliót fizet". NSO.hu (in Hungarian). 18 November 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
11. ^ "UEFA official match report (minute by minute)". UEFA. 2 June 2007. Archived from the original on 4 June 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
12. ^ Helmer, Jesper (2 June 2007). "Rosenberg: Jeg slog også Poulsen". Nyhedsavisen (in Danish). Retrieved 6 June 2007. "Rosenberg: We are in a tussle inside the [Danish penalty] area, pulling and pushing each other. I am not completely innocent in the situation, because I also hit him a bit, but not as hard as he hits me. And what the referees see, is when he hits me."
13. ^ "Denmark-Sweden Euro tie abandoned". BBC Sport. 4 June 2007. Retrieved 9 June 2007. "Poulsen: I was involved in a tussle with the Swedish player, who I felt had provoked me twice. I saw red and I hit him."
14. ^ "The comeback that never was". Copenhagen Post. 4 June 2007. Archived from the original on 7 June 2007. Retrieved 9 June 2007. "Denmark's Christian Poulsen started the fiasco in the match's final minutes when he punched Sweden's Markus Rosenberg in the stomach after Rosenberg apparently struck him in the face. The line judge saw only Poulsen's retaliation."
15. ^ Burlund, Martin (2 June 2007). "UEFA to decide on Denmark-Sweden abandonment". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 June 2007. Retrieved 9 June 2007.
16. ^ "Denmark, Sweden thriller called off". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
17. ^ "Euro 2008 qualifier abandoned for fan attack". ESPN.com. 2007-06-02. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
18. ^ "Euro qualifier abandoned after fan attacks ref". CBC Sports. June 3, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
19. ^ Nu berättar skandalsupportern Archived 2011-05-16 at the Wayback Machine Expressen, 3 June 2007.
20. ^ "Förlåt, Sverige" Archived 2011-05-16 at the Wayback Machine Expressen, 3 June 2007.
21. ^ Dam, Camilla (4 June 2007). "Nu siger han undskyld". Danmarks Radio (in Danish). Retrieved 6 June 2007.
22. ^ a b UEFA.com (2007-06-07). "Denmark hearing tomorrow". UEFA.com. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
23. ^ Press release The Danish Football Association, 4 June 2007.
24. ^ "UEFA awards Sweden 3-0 win over Denmark". Reuters. 2007-08-09. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
25. ^ a b UEFA.com (2007-06-08). "Copenhagen contest goes to Sweden | UEFA EURO". UEFA.com. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
26. ^ "Sweden awarded abandoned UEFA clash". Brisbane Times. 2007-06-08. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
27. ^ AFP (8 June 2007). "Danes unhappy with UEFA ruling". Independent Online. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
28. ^ a b The Associated Press; Jan M. Olsen (8 June 2007). "UEFA awards Sweden 3–0 win over Denmark after Danish fan attack on referee". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
29. ^ a b "UEFA-folk trækker i land". TV 2 (in Danish). 9 June 2007. Retrieved 9 June 2007.
30. ^ "Distance between Copenhagen and Aalborg". Mapcrow.info. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
31. ^ "Aalborg Stadion". The Stadium Guide. Archived from the original on 10 March 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
32. ^ "Aalborg Stadion". World Stadiums. Archived from the original on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
33. ^ "Sweden awarded default win". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 5 July 2007. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
34. ^ Christensen, Mia (8 June 2007). "Kronprins Frederik raser over skandalekamp". Nyhedsavisen (in Danish). Retrieved 9 June 2007.
35. ^ "Politikommissær: Christian Poulsen bør sigtes for vold". 24timer (in Danish). 4 June 2007. Archived from the original on 7 June 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
36. ^ Poulsen faces possible charges over punch, apologizes DPA, 5 June 2007 Archived 10 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
37. ^ "Justitsminister: Poulsen skal af landsholdet". Politiken (in Danish). 4 June 2007. Archived from the original on 7 June 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2007.
38. ^ Welcome to Parken (about the stadium) Parken Stadium, official website. Archived 19 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine
39. ^ Set fra sidelinien: Den sorteste dag Archived 2008-05-02 at the Wayback Machine Christian Thye-Petersen, The Jyllands-Posten, 2 June 2007.
40. ^ "Fodboldtossen skal i fængsel", Danmarks Radio, 11-12-2007. Retrieved on 03-07-2008.
41. ^ Tilskueren fra Parken er løsladt Ekstrabladet, 3 June 2007. Archived 6 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
42. ^ "DBU kræver 1,9 mio. fra "fan"", Danmarks Radio, 2007-08-31. Retrieved on 31 August 2007.
43. ^ Baneløber skal betale 900.000 kr, TV 2/Nyhederne, 2009-11-18. Retrieved on 21 November 2009.
44. ^ Vigtig dom for dansk fodbold, Danish FA, 2009-11-20. Retrieved on 21 November 2009.
45. ^ Baneløber: Jeg har ikke pengene, TV 2/Nyhederne, 2009-11-18. Retrieved on 21 November 2009. Archived 26 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine
46. ^ Baneløber slipper med 250.000 kr., TV2/Nyhederne, 2012-01-20. Retrieved 30 March 2012.

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