download All Football App

'I just want you home now': Lindelof's wife speaks out on fears for her husband

  /  autty

Victor Lindelof's wife Maja has spoken of her concern for her husband as the Manchester United defender returns home from Brussels, after two Sweden fans were killed in a terrorist attack.

Two fans were shot dead and a third was injured on Monday ahead of Sweden's Euro 2024 qualifier against Belgium.

Police shot dead the gunman - a 45-year-old Tunisian national named by Belgian media as Abdesalem Lassoued - in a café in the Schaerbeek area of the city on Tuesday morning.

Lindelof, 29, started the qualifier, which was level at 1-1 when the game was abandoned at half-time.

The Swedish team headed home after being held back in the stadium until well into the early hours, with Lindelof heading back to his wife Maja and two children in Manchester.

Maja made an emotional post on Instagram as she awaits the return of her husband on Tuesday.

'I just want you home now,' she wrote, alongside a photo of the Sweden captain.

She also paid tribute to those affected by the attack in Brussels, sharing a photo of Swedish fans who had been locked in the stadium amid security fears.

'There are no words. My thoughts go out to all those affected yesterday. To the victims and their families. To all Swedish fans. To Sweden,' she wrote.

Lindelof had posted his own tribute to the supporters killed in Brussels.

'I'm shocked and devastated by the terrible incidents in Brussels with the cold-hearted attacks on our fellow Swedes,' Lindelof wrote on Instagram.

'I'm lost for words for the cruelty and inhumanity, I want to send my deepest condolences to the families and friends of those affected.

'At the same time, my thoughts go out to all the supporters in Belgium last night, no one should ever go to a game of football and feel unsafe when supporting their team.'

The Sweden captain was one of the 700 fans, players and coaching staff who were locked inside the King Baudouin Stadium until 4am on Tuesday night.

The gunman had deliberately targeted Swedes in what he described as a 'revenge attack' for the killing of a six-year-old US-Palestinian boy.

Lindelof revealed that discussions had been held with the Belgian team at half-time, with an agreement reached not to proceed with the match.

The defender has reportedly suggested the match should not resume, with Belgium already assured of Euro 2024 qualification, while Sweden are unable to reach next summer's tournament in Germany.

Images from the stadium showed the impact the news had on supporters, with many visibly shaken and tearful in their seats.

But there was defiance too, with fans chanting 'All together, All together,' with thousands from both sides also shouting 'Sweden, Sweden!' as they waited.

The players came back out into the arena and were seen looking for their family members in the crowd, with some on the pitch making panicked phone calls to loved ones.

Yannick Carrasco the Belgium and Al-Shabab winger was seen on his phone down by the touchline. Defender Debast Zeno was also pictured on the phone, pointing to the crowd and in conversation with a steward.

They were then allowed to go into the stands and collect family members, accompanied by a security escort, and take them back to the changing rooms.

The sombre atmosphere was punctuated by collective applause occasionally whenever the announcement on the tannoy was made for fans to stay patient.

At 12:30am the fans had been allowed to go down from the stands, onto the concourse where the players and Janne Andersson met them.

The Sweden team eventually managed to fly home at 2am, while supporters were accompanied by police escorts to their hotels and various accommodation in the city after being allowed to leave at 4am.

The suspected gunman was shot on Tuesday morning and taken to hospital, while his scooter he is said to have used to flee the terror attack was towed away.

The automatic rifle that Lassoued had used to kill the two Swedish football fans last night was also found on his person.

Prime Minister De Croo earlier said the suspect was a man of Tunisian origin who had been living in the country illegally before launching what he called a brutal terrorist attack.