Two hurt in brawl between FC Twente, Hammarby supporters in Stockholm

Two people got hurt in a brawl in Stockholm’s Södermalm district on Wednesday afternoon. According to Swedish media and the Twente newspaper Tubantia, it was a fight between hooligans from FC Twente and the Swedish football club Hammarby, who will play against each other in Stockholm on Thursday evening in the second preliminary round of the Conference League. The injured are said to be FC Twente supporters.

The Swedish police only confirmed an incident where two people were injured. One of them was taken to a hospital. By the time the police arrived on the scene, the disturbance had already ended, a spokesperson said. She could not say whether any football supporters were involved.

An RTV Oost reporter in Stockholm heard from eyewitnesses that the hard core of Hammarby attacked the Dutch on Wednesday afternoon. “A manhunt,” said the eyewitnesses. FC Twente supporters in Stockholm allegedly call on each other to be careful.

The website Twentefans states that the “Dutch embassy accompanied” some supporters “to the airport to leave Sweden as quickly as possible.” A spokesperson for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs could not confirm that. The Dutch embassy in Stockholm did receive “some consular requests for help,” he said.”The Dutch people involved are receiving consular assistance.”

The spokesperson could not say what precisely the consular assistance entails. Due to the privacy of those involved, the Ministry would not comment on the identity of the Dutch and whether they were in Stockholm for the FC Twente match.

Hammarby hooligans have made it clear online in recent days that FC Twente supporters are not welcome in Stockholm. Last Thursday, FC Twente won 1-0 against the Swedish club in Enschede, prompting riots between the hard core of both clubs.

For safety reasons, FC Twente will not take supporters to Thursday evening’s game, the club announced on Monday. How many supporters went to the Swedish capital on their own is unclear.