The Danish soccer fan who tried to attack the referee during a European Championship qualifier between Denmark and Sweden has apologized.
The 29-year-old Dane, who was not identified, ran onto the field and threw a punch at German referee Herbert Fandel in the final moments of the Group F match on Saturday.
"It was incredibly stupid of me," the man said in yesterday's edition of Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet. "I want to apologize to Denmark, Sweden and the referee for my inhuman behavior."
Photo: AFP
The fan was infuriated by Fandel's decision to award Sweden an 89th-minute penalty and send off Danish midfielder Christian Poulsen with the score tied at 3-3 after Denmark had rallied from 3-0 down.
"People in Denmark hate me, but I have no feeling yet what the reaction in Sweden is, other than they of course believe I am an idiot," he said in Danish tabloid Ekstra Bladet.
The newspaper identified him by the initial "R," while Aftonbladet decided not to publish his name citing "the serious threat" against him.
The Dane, who lives in Sweden, told a court hearing on Sunday that he had consumed 15 to 20 beers before storming the field. He said he couldn't remember the attack, only when Danish defender Michael Gravgaard pushed him away from Fandel.
"I am incredibly happy that he stopped me before something worse could have happened," the assailant told Danish tabloid B.T.
The supporter was released after the court hearing and described himself as "a bad loser."
Investigators are now preparing formal charges against the man.
Danish officials initially said Sweden had been awarded a 3-0 forfeit victory. But UEFA officials said they need to see written reports from Fandel and his team of officials and will make a ruling before the next European qualifying matches tomorrow.
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Robinson Cano spent 17 seasons playing in the MLB in front of all kinds of baseball fans, but he said there is something special about his stint with the Mexican Baseball League’s Diablos Rojos. He is not alone. The league last week opened its 100th season, aiming to keep an impressive growth in attendance that began after the national team’s surprise run at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, and is already surpassing some first-division soccer clubs. After finishing third in the 2023 tournament, many casual fans, some of them soccer enthusiasts disappointed after Mexico were eliminated in the first round in the 2022
In-form teenager Mirra Andreeva on Thursday crashed out of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, after going down in straight sets to fellow Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova in the last 16. World No. 7 Andreeva, who already has two titles under her belt this season, lost 6-3, 6-2 against the 22nd-ranked Alexandrova in just over an hour. The 17-year-old Andreeva had defeated her elder sister Erika in the previous round on Wednesday, but Alexandrova quickly took control as she claimed her fourth win over a top-10 player this season. The 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva in February became the youngest winner of a WTA
RSS