The draw decided that the double encounter against APOEL would begin in Cyprus.
Instead, Djurgården will start at home on Wednesday 17 August following the UEFA decision.
– That’s what it is, we still dream of playing matches like this, says club CEO Henrik Bergren after the rock attacks.
After simple and convincing victories against both Croatian Rijeka and Romanian Sepsi, Djurgården now plays in the Conference League playoffs.
The draw has already decided that the Blue Stripes will face the Cypriot APOEL, and the initial announcement suggested that the double meeting would begin in Nicosia.
This will not happen.
The country’s club teams succeeded in the playoffs, leading to many promotions and a “bad luck” draw that most of them would play in Cyprus at the same time. That prompted UEFA to act, says Henrik Berggren, chief executive of Djurgården.
“You might get the most out of it”
– For logistical reasons we change who starts at home. We have clearly informed UEFA of the possibilities, and we are following them up.
Does it affect anything athletic that allows you to finish away from home?
– it is what it is. We struggle to play matches like this, it’s the dream of both the fans and the club. You have to make the most of it. Everyone would probably want to finish on their own turf if they had a free choice – we’ve done that in our previous doubles anyway.
The first match will therefore take place on Wednesday 17 August at Tele2 Arena with kick-off at 18.45 and will be broadcast exclusively on Sportbladet.
The return leg will be played in Cyprus on Tuesday 23 August, starting at 18:00 Swedish time.