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Crowd disturbances during a match between Stockholm rivals AIK and Djurgardens on Monday resulted in a one-hour delay, prompting the Swedish government to call an emergency meeting of the country's football federation. Television footage from Sunday's game at the Tele2 Arena showed flares being thrown from the crowd twice, and police officers bringing dogs onto the field to protect the players before being confronted by masked supporters in the AIK section behind one of the goals.
Sweden's justice minister, Gunnar Strommer, told the newspaper that the government was prepared to act but was waiting to see what measures the federation and the game's organisers were taking to avoid recurring incidents. A security guard reportedly suffered a slight injury, according to Swedish media sources.
In a game that saw two AIK players Axel Bjornstrom and Eric Ouma, sent off in the 90th and 92nd minutes respectively, inflaming an already tense atmosphere, Djurgarden prevailed 1-0. The chaos and panic caused by some AIK supporters can be seen clearly in the video below. They can be seen fighting with the security personnel and throwing flares on the ground.
Watch the videos here:
"That is sad." Said the club's chief executive, Manuel Lindberg, who has since quit, with the team in last position in the 16-team league after 10 games. He also stated, "I think it's unworthy of AIK that it should be like this.
When the game was finally over, the score remained 1-0 as Djurgarden is now fourth in Sweden's premier division while AIK is in second to last place with just one victory and six points in ten games. The only team lagging behind them in the standings is the winless, Varbergs BolS. The rivalry between Djurgarden and AIK, two of the biggest and most successful clubs in Swedish football history, is thought to be the strongest in the league with 12 Allsvenskan championships between the two sides.
