During the attention-grabbing police action at IFK Göteborg's bleachers during the match against Häcken at the Nordic Wellness Arena on Sunday, police officers with helmets and lowered visors escorted around fifteen people out.
On Monday morning, prosecutors announced that nine of them had been arrested on suspicion of violent riot. Later in the day, it was announced that everyone had been released, but that a preliminary investigation regarding violations of the Act on Flammable and Explosive Goods and the ban on masking had been initiated.
According to the police, a woman had also received sparks from a bengal in her eye. The report has been written about causing bodily harm.
- Overall, we have a good investigative situation regarding crimes that are committed. I assess that we will bring in more suspects, says Daniel Norlander, deputy operational manager at the police and the one who led the operation.
According to him, a black cloth on the IFK stand, a so-called overhead, was used as a form of crime tool so that people who came to burn 80-90 Bengals could mask themselves without being identified.
Norlander says that two supporter police who acted up in Häcken's stands confiscated just such on Sunday.
- It is quite clear to us that this type of overhead cloth is used to hide masking. When it comes up, we know we have a burn going on. We could see how those who lit them masked themselves under the overhead and then spread out among ordinary spectators.
On Monday, IFK Gothenburg made a statement. The club wrote that it "views the police intervention very seriously" and "questions whether the effort was proportionate to the disorderly conduct that occurred".
IFK Göteborg said that "about 20 people sought care after being exposed to pepper spray and the strong pressure that arose".
Daniel Norlander says that last week they had an "intensified dialogue" with IFK Göteborg and supporter groups.
- We were quite hopeful until this moment that the dialogue had succeeded. That's why until then we stayed in the background, behind the stands.
According to Daniel Norlander, heavy bengal smoke in itself posed a problem.
- First we met a woman who came out with burns on her face, then children who had difficulty breathing, they had covered their noses and mouths with scarves. Then we had two choices. Either we keep our fingers crossed that nothing more happens, or we act to protect the public and prevent crime.
IFK Göteborg questions whether the police intervention was proportionate.
- Every situation is unique, but in retrospect I believe that the decisions we made were completely reasonable.
Adrian Pihl is the chairman of IFK Gothenburg's big supporter club Änglarna. He says he was standing about twenty meters away from the area where the police entered and used the pepper spray. His association is not in conflict with the police, he emphasizes.
- I saw a situation that escalated in a nasty way where third parties were pressed against the fence and pepper sprayed. This particular stand is also particularly poorly designed with only one entrance and exit, people are packed like sardines in a can.
The police believe that they must be able to prosecute crimes.
- Yes, but the effort must be proportionate to the crime. There is a long discussion about that. My experience here was that it did more harm than good.
He is familiar with the fact that a black cloth is unfolded so that people can mask themselves under it.
- It is clear that it is problematic that there is a kind of conflict going on between the police and certain subcultures in the stands that affects ordinary spectators. Many may be a little gullible holding up those pieces of cloth that they think are part of tifo culture. And you should know that an absolute majority are only there to watch the match.
Police chief Daniel Norlander questions the basic premise that he feels exists in some supporter groups that law enforcement has nothing to do with "their" stands.
- It should be enough with four supporter police and one officer. Here, Swedish football and we have a responsibility to ensure that this kind of thing does not happen again.
IFK Göteborg thus states that around 20 people sought treatment after the match linked to the pepper spray. The police defend the use.
- It is clear that it is unfortunate if completely innocent people are affected, but the violence we encounter forces us to use the OC spray, says Daniel Norlander.
He also says that in many situations the spray can replace the baton.
- It reduces the risk of injury for both our staff and the person the police intervenes against.
When DN asks Sahlgrenska University Hospital's press spokesperson Nina Sjöman at lunchtime on Monday if people who were pepper sprayed have come in for treatment, the answer is:
- I have asked the question to our three emergency departments and to the eye clinic, but there is no information that they received any patients from the match yesterday.
