Swedish Football Fans Leave Up to €30,000 in Damage at Tallinn Stadium
Vandalism by IFK Göteborg supporters at A. Le Coq Arena is estimated to cost up to €30,000, but Thursday's Conference League qualifier will go ahead despite incomplete repairs.
Damage caused by Swedish football fans at Tallinn's A. Le Coq Arena, also known as Lilleküla Stadium, could reach €30,000. The vandalism occurred last Thursday during the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round match between FCI Levadia and IFK Göteborg. Some visiting Göteborg supporters smashed up a bathroom and damaged seating in the stadium.
Despite the destruction, the stadium will still host another Conference League qualifier on Thursday, when Paide Linnameeskond take on Austrian club Rapid Vienna. Estonian Football Association (EJL) spokesperson Martti Kallas confirmed that repairs will not be fully completed by then, but the match will go ahead at the same venue. "We definitely won't have time to repair the two vandalized toilets by Thursday, but since the expected number of Rapid Vienna fans will fill only about one fifth of the away section and there are still two intact toilets available there, this will not prevent us from hosting them. The stadium is ready to welcome spectators," Kallas said.
Police have visited A. Le Coq Arena, documented the damage and opened an investigation. Kallas noted that the EJL has requested repair quotes, with estimates ranging from €25,000 to €30,000, though these are preliminary. He also reiterated that in similar cases, the club whose fans caused the damage is usually held liable for the costs.
IFK won the match 3-1, advancing 4-3 on aggregate. In addition to the stadium damage, fans travelling to support the Swedish side had also vandalized Tallinn's Old Town, defacing walls with graffiti and club stickers, smashing windows and damaging street decorations.
This is not the first instance of Swedish football supporters causing trouble in Estonia. Last year, AIK Stockholm fans damaged the athletics track at Kadriorg Stadium with pyrotechnics during a match against Paide, resulting in UEFA fines of €25,000, a €5,000 charge for the damage, and a suspended one-match away-fan ban.
