‘Incredibly sad’ – Pitch set on fire in chaotic relegation decider scenes

Nov 30, 2025 - 16:15

There were disgraceful scenes in a Swedish relegation/promotion match as fans of IFK Norrkoping saw their pitch set alight.

The Allsvenskan regulars finished 14th of 16 teams in the top flight, condemning them to a play-off against the third-placed side in the second tier, Orgryte IS.

The home fans showed their support pre-match, but things spiralled as it became clear they were getting relegated

pitch on fire, sweden, sweden football, swedish football, Allsvenskan, Orgryte IS, IFK Norrkoping — The away fans caused the first stoppage when they destroyed a fence

Orgryte won the first leg 3-0 at home, and as a result unhappy IFK fans disrupted the return match.

They weren’t the only ones, though, as a section of the away supporters at the Nya Parken had to be thrown out with just seven minutes on the clock as they attempted to destroy a fence.

There was then another first-half stoppage when a firecracker was thrown on the pitch.

The match stayed 0-0, sending IFK out of the top flight for the first time since 2010.

With hope all but over, fireworks were thrown on the pitch in the 86th minute and the referee immediately stopped play and signalled towards the tunnel.

Matters then got far more concerning as the synthetic pitch caught alight in sections, and so did the goal net, as stewards ran to stamp out the fire.

The match ultimately resumed, but there was yet another stoppage before the full-time whistle due to the use of pyrotechnics.

All-in-all, the second leg of the relegation/promotion match lasted a massive four-and-a-half hours due to the four stoppages.

Speaking post match, IFK director Andre Skagervik said: “This is of course completely unacceptable. Even if it is a minority, it is incredibly sad.”