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Swedish forward abused online after miss vs. Spain

June 15, 2021

The Swedish FA has contacted police after a cascade of abuse was sent to striker Marcus Berg on social media. The 34-year-old had missed a big chance in Sweden’s 0-0 draw against Spain at Euro 2020.

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Sweden's Marcus Berg lying on the turf after missing a golden chance against Spain
Sweden's Marcus Berg missed a golden opportunity against Spain at Euro 2020Image: Pierre Philippe Marcou/AP/picture alliance

After Sweden secured a brave, backs-against-the-wall draw against heavy favorites Spain in their opening Euro 2020 match on Monday, the last thing coach Janne Andersson expected was criticism.

But Marcus Berg's Instagram account was flooded with abuse as irate followers lambasted the striker for missing an open goal in the 61st minute.

"Are you joking?" Andersson responded when hearing of the abuse. "I don't think you can be negative towards a player who worked his socks off on the pitch."

The Swedish FA said on Tuesday they would submit a formal report to police, who would then decide if the abusers had a case to answer for.

"We've sat and collected what's on the internet, or what we can find, and it's more than enough to feel that it has gone over the boundaries that we can accept," the team's security chief Martin Fredman said on Tuesday.

"There are probably many who wake up ... and regret what they wrote. But it may be that they receive a call from the police."

How did Sweden's players respond?

Meanwhile, Berg's teammates rallied behind the 34-year-old former Hamburg frontman.

Sweden captain Andreas Granqvist and striker Marcus Berg
Sweden captain Andreas Granqvist defended teammate Marcus BergImage: firo Sportphoto/Sebastian/picture alliance

"It's so ridiculous, I'm not even going to invest energy in it. I and everyone else in the team know how important 'Mackan' is for the team," goalkeeper Robin Olsen told reporters.

"It's incredibly low to be carrying on like that. He knows that I and the rest of the team have his back."

Captain Andreas Granqvist posted a short message on Instagram reading: "King, always behind you."

It's not the first instance social media users have abused footballers online. Sweden winger Jimmy Durmaz received racist abuse after conceding the free-kick against Germany at the 2018 World Cup, which allowed Toni Kroos to fire home the winner.

Spain's Alvaro Morata also missed a chance as his side dominated the game, with La Furia Roja firing off 17 goal attempts and 852 passes compared to Sweden's 4 and 103, respectively. Coach Luis Enrique implored fans to get behind his players.

"I think Alvaro had a great game," Enrique said. "Of course we all want to take our chances, but other players had chances, too. We all want the fans to support him."

jcs/dv (dpa, Reuters)