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The top-flight Swedish league match between IFK Gothenburg and Malmo had to be abandoned after 78 minutes after a firework exploded under the feet of substitute Tobias Sana, who then reacted by throwing a corner flag like a javelin into the offending supporters.
Malmo winger Sana was warming up on the sidelines at the Gamla Ullevi stadium in Gothenburg, preparing to be introduced for the final ten minutes of the fixture. As the winger was performing his stretches, a firework thrown from a section containing home supporters bounced under his feet and exploded.
Ingen liten smäll. Hela TV-kameran på andra långsidan skakar till ordentligt #MalmöFF #IFKGbg pic.twitter.com/jKRCgCSyZL
— Jacob Leander-Olsson (@jacoblo) April 27, 2016
“I heard the banger, I looked over and saw Tobias Sana bend down,”
“After that it went quickly, I blew the whistle and got the players in directly.”
Jonas Eriksson, Match Referee
The magnitude of the blast was shocking, physically shaking the television cameras.
Angered by the incident, Sana marched towards the Gothenburg supporters before ripping a corner flag out of the ground and launching it like a javelin at the fans occupying the corner of the terrace.
Video of Malmo sub Tobias Sana throwing the corner flag into the IFK Goteborg fans after they threw a banger at him. pic.twitter.com/jgZPDb2Jld
— Dan Cobb (@Daniel_Cobb) April 27, 2016
Sana, who previously played for Gothenburg before switching to Dutch side Ajax in 2012, was escorted away by security guards and the players were taken off the pitch by the referee with the match goalless.