Finland The Swedish Football Association has received a 30,000-euro fine from UEFA. The fine was imposed for the men’s international match between Finland and Belarus played in Helsinki on September 29.
Uefa the decision according to Finland’s punishment consists of two parts: a fine of 10,000 euros came for “disruption during the national anthem”, and a fine of 20,000 euros was given for “a message that is not suitable for a sporting event”.
Finnish fans booed at the Olympic Stadium when the national anthem of Belarus played.
Uefa’s decision did not elaborate on the “inappropriate message”. This possibly referred to the sheet that the Finnish supporters spread in the stands. The big sheet had the text “The day of the sun is coming”, and in the picture of the sheet, a swashbuckler harassed an insect resembling a cockroach, which had the name of the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko face.
The match also featured the white-red flag of the Belarusian opposition, which was removed from the stands.
Finland’s supporters also chanted for the Russian president Vladimir Putin blasphemous songs.
Finland the match against Belarus was widely talked about. The football association decided in March that the match would be played on a neutral field, but the association reversed its decision in May.
The match ended 0–0.