The Euro 2024 qualifier between Belgium and Sweden that was abandoned for security reasons will not be replayed, with the 1-1 half-time score standing as the final result, UEFA has confirmed.
Monday’s match was abandoned at half-time after two Swedish nationals were shot dead in a terrorist attack in Brussels.
UEFA has confirmed each team will be awarded one point in the Group F standings after the Belgian and Swedish football associations both expressed their desire to not replay the match.
A UEFA statement read: “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 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.”
The result does not impact qualifying for Euro 2024, with Belgium’s qualification already secured and Sweden mathematically eliminated.
Suspensions that were served during the abandoned fixture are considered served and single yellow cards picked up remain valid.
Sweden manager Janne Andersson explained post-match the players had asked for the game to be abandoned when they heard about the shooting.
Belgium Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden confirmed on Tuesday morning that the perpetrator of the attack had been identified and had died.
UEFA confirms no matches in Israel ‘until further notice’
European football’s governing body has also confirmed that no UEFA matches will take place in Israel “until further notice” in response to the Israel-Gaza war.
Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Tel-Aviv have been requested to propose alternative home venues for their respective Europa League and Europa Conference League fixtures.
The pair’s European fixtures on October 26 — Maccabi Haifa were set to travel to Villarreal in the Europa League and Maccabi Tel-Aviv were scheduled to host Zorya Luhansk in the Europa Conference League — have been postponed to December 6 and November 25 respectively.
The Euro 2024 qualifier between Kosovo and Israel was postponed by UEFA last week.
(Photo: Getty Images/Getty Images)
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