Football
8y

Swedish match abandoned after goalkeeper attacked by pitch invader

A match between Swedish sides Ostersunds and Jonkoping Sodra was abandoned after a pitch invader assaulted Ostersunds goalkeeper Aly Keita on Monday.

Players and security escorted the intruder away after the he ran onto the pitch and grabbed Keita in the final minutes of the game.

Medics attended to Keita, who fell to the ground after the attack, before taking him off the field.

Police arrested a 17-year-old man from Sodertalje, near Stockholm, the Swedish football federation said in a statement.

Sweden's top referee, Jonas Eriksson, took the teams off the pitch and later abandoned the match.

The game was level at 1-1 at the time of the incident, but the federation said it could award a 3-0 win to Ostersunds by default.

Earlier this season, a fireworks incident led to a 3-0 loss being awarded against IFK Goteborg when a home league match was stopped.

A firecracker thrown from the crowd exploded next to Malmo midfielder Tobias Sana, a former Goteborg player, as he warmed up on the sidelines. The game had been level at 0-0 in the 77th minute.

That match was abandoned, also by referee Eriksson, after a linesman who was also near the exploding firework was shocked by the incident.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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