The Tallinn “Levadia” club caused a surprise when just over a week ago they won 2:1 away against the Swedish champions “Goteborg,” who have a much larger budget.
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However, the Estonians failed to maintain the advantage they brought home – although the Swedes missed two penalty kicks, and the match went into extra time, the visitors scored two goals there, triumphed 3:1, and advanced to the third qualifying round, where they will play against the “Gent” club from Belgium.
Despite their team winning and securing a ticket to the next stage, the “Goteborg” fans who flooded Estonia really rampaged at the Tallinn “A. Le Coq” stadium after the match.
As reported by “Postimees,” the Swedes broke the chairs in the sector from which they supported their team and also vandalized the stadium toilets.
The extent of the damage can be seen in this video, showing broken doors and sinks, shattered mirrors, and walls painted with graffiti:
The Estonian Football Association (EJL), which manages the country’s largest stadium, is considering contacting the police regarding the damage caused.
“During the UEFA Conference League match between ‘Levadia’ and ‘Goteborg,’ fans of the Swedish club vandalized and severely damaged two toilets. In addition, they broke chairs. The UEFA delegate recorded all the damage after the match,” said EJL communications representative Martti Kallas. “During the match, the Swedish police and club security were in the fan sector, and after the match, together with local security, they assessed the damage. We are considering contacting the police to start an investigation.”
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About 2,000 Goteborg team fans came to Tallinn in total. A total of 7,725 people attended the stadium during the match. The Tallinn stadium has a capacity of about 15,000 spectators.
The day after the match, Goteborg apologized to the Estonians for the damage caused by their fans.
“We unequivocally condemn the vandalism that happened in Tallinn and want to apologize to the ‘Levadia’ club, which hosted us hospitably in Estonia,” the Swedish club said in a statement. “UEFA has been informed about the incident, and ‘Goteborg’ will face fines or other disciplinary sanctions.”
The club also added that it will seek to identify the individuals who caused the damage at the Tallinn stadium and, if successful, will demand compensation from them.
It was also added that such behavior is incompatible with the club’s values and emphasized that it harms the club not only financially but also in terms of reputation.
