sweden v. denmark

Wow. I am not a big soccer football fan and I hate suspense. Tonight's European Championships qualifier between Denmark and Sweden wouldn't have been my activity of choice, but it's what we ended up watching at my SIL's.

The game started off to my liking. 3 quick goals to Sweden gave me the sense of ease that makes it easy to watch. There's a buffer so things look good for a Swedish victory within the first 30 minutes of the match.

Denmark managed to pull itself back and equalized 3-3 with just about 15 minutes before the end of the match. That made me uncomfortable. My comfort zone was gone and a tie, a loss or a dramatic win was all in the cards.

But I watched on. And I'm glad I did. Not because of the remarkable victory Sweden managed to pull off...because they never had the chance.

With just a few minutes of play left, a Danish player punched a Swedish player in the penalty zone. It should have meant a penalty kick which is nearly as good as a goal, though not always...nail biter. Me no like.

As the chaos of the call was easing, a Danish fan managed to storm the field and attacked the referee. 3 Danish players quickly interceded and pushed off the fan. Bravo to the Danish players.

However, the referees ended the game then and there due to security failings. Sweden was not going to have its shot at scoring the victory penalty and winning 4-0.

The word readily repeated by commentators was "scandal." And scandal it shall remain for European soccer football in general.

After a few minutes the final decision about the match was decided. Sweden was granted the victory 3-0. All of Denmark's goals were taken back.

Personally, while I think the ruling was a bit harsh on Denmark --taking back one goal seemed reasonable, it sends a very strong message to the fans of national teams everywhere. The message is clear; don't interfere and don't be violent. If you are, you will be the reason your team loses.

So far I've only tried to waddle through a Danish newspaper's account. If I understood correctly, the paper mentions the fan's attack on the referee, but considers the ruling a scandal nonetheless.