Man held after football fan dies in Sweden

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STOCKHOLM — A man in his twenties was arrested in the southern Swedish town of Helsingborg on Tuesday in connection with the death of a football fan from head injuries over the weekend, a police source said.

The 28-year-old suspect presented himself to a police station late Monday, police spokesman Kenneth Andersson told AFP, confirming a press report.

A 44-year-old fan was taken to hospital with severe head injuries received during fighting in Helsingborg town center, 30 minutes before a league match between Stockholm team Djurgaarden and Helsingborg on Sunday.

He died in hospital soon after the game started.

During the match Djurgaarden supporters began chanting “murderer, murderer” and invaded the pitch, forcing the referee to cancel the match.

The Swedish government recently introduced plans to bar known hooligans from football stadiums for up to three years with proposals to ban the use of face masks often worn by extremist supporter gangs.

It was the second death in Sweden in football hooligan-related violence — a supporter died during fighting in Stockholm city centre in 2002 during a game between Gothenburg and Stockholm team AIK.

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