An Allsvenskan match between Malmo and IFK Gothenburg was abandoned on Wednesday night, as Malmo’s Tobias Sana hurled a corner flag into the crowd.
With just under 15 minutes of the match left to play, Sana was warming up on the sidelines. A firework was hurled at him from what appeared to be the Gothenburg end, before exploding at his feet. This prompted the referee to stop the game and – as his teammates prepared to leave the pitch – Sana strode towards the home fans before tearing up the corner flag and hurling it into the crowd like a javelin.
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Unsurprisingly, this caused significant furore. In the aftermath of the incident, the match was abandoned.
Referee Jonas Eriksson deliberated with match delegate Pelle Hoeg for over half an hour after the incident, before it was decided that security at the ground could not be guaranteed. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Eriksson said afterwards: “I heard the banger, I looked over and saw Tobias Sana bend down. After that it went quickly, I blew the whistle and got the players in directly.”
He added: “I will write a report tonight and send it to the football association with the match report and it will be up to the disciplinary committee to decide.”
Historically the two most successful teams in the Allsvenskan, Malmo and Gothenburg share a fierce rivalry. Sana had played for Gothenburg prior to a move to Ajax in 2012, before joining Malmo last year.
