European football’s governing body UEFA has released a statement on the abandoned Belgium vs Sweden contest on Thursday (Oct 19) as the fixture is officially called off and won’t be replayed. This comes after terrorists shot dead two Sweden fans in the Belgium capital of Brussels on Monday, forcing unrest in the stadium. While the match was still on, players refused to come out for the second half, and the fixture was abandoned indefinitely with scores reading 1-1.

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UEFA statement on the tragic incident

“Following a suspected terrorist attack in Brussels this evening, it has been decided, after consultation with the two teams and the local police authorities, that the UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying match between Belgium and Sweden is abandoned. Further communication will be made in due course,” a statement on UEFA’s official website read.

The fixture has huge consequences for Sweden as they are still in the bid to make the playoffs for the Euro 2024. They are currently on six points after five matches and could reach a maximum of 15 points if they win all those contests. While an automatic qualification spot is out of hand with Belgium and Poland already through, Sweden could force a playoff berth.

The result of the match is yet to be declared but as things stand, Sweden will hope for a positive outcome with a place in the main tournament up for grabs.

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In other big developments, the ongoing Israel-Hamas war has forced UEFA to avoid staging matches in the Jewish nation. The UEFA has decided to avoid staging matches in Israel for an indefinite period after the deadly attacks caused unrest. This will mean that no Europa League or Europa Conference League matches will be played in the country along with UEFA’s international fixtures in November. However, this won’t rule out Israel or its clubs from playing in the UEFA competitions. Teams will have to use neutral grounds to stage their matches while the nations ride for an important run where they could book a place in the Euro 2024.

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