Belgrade. Daniel Sundgren stayed with his one-day-old daughter instead of traveling to the team game.
He was then fined 200,000 SEK by the club.
Now says the national team defender.
– I knew they were going to mess with me, he told Sportbladet.
can tonight Daniel Sundgren In their first competitive international match.
It’s been a year since he made his Blagault debut, appearing in the training match against Uzbekistan.
There have been no more minutes in the national right-back team since then. But a lot happened.
Just before Christmas, headlines were swirling that his former club, Greek Ari, had fined Sundgren 200,000 kroner, for choosing not to travel to a league match in Crete the day after his daughter was born.
“He wanted to get rid of me at all costs.”
Now Sundgren tells for the first time what happened.
– Do you want to hear the full story, asks Sportbladet.
Yes, thank you.
– I informed the club that we were going to the hospital until it “started”. There were no problems from the club, they just asked me to tell them when the kid was out. The day after we went in, at 5 p.m., my girlfriend was forced to have an emergency caesarean section and there were some complications, but everything went well in the end, he says.
– Two hours later I informed the club that my daughter was out. Then you expect “Congratulations! Now take the time you need,” like. But instead it was “Congratulations! At seven in the morning tomorrow the plane is leaving for Crete. You must play a match.” I was confused and said I can’t. I wasn’t eating and drinking properly before the game because I was in the hospital and my daughter needed me. She was alone in a foreign country. Then there were angry tunes straight from the club. “Okay, stay home.” Two days later, I received an email that I had been fined SEK 200,000 for not showing up for the match. My agent and I objected to this and did it right, so I never had to pay.
Ari and Greece left after the season for Israel’s Maccabi Haifa.
– Here’s the exact opposite. They gave me two weeks off after giving birth.
What do you think when you got the fine from Ari?
– It just shows how badly they treat me. I knew they were going to have sex with me. They wanted to get rid of me at any cost.
“Of course it was scary.”
Sundgren took off on a flight in Israel.
In August, Maccabi launched Haifa in the Champions League with a long-range shot against Red Star at Rajko Mitik (formerly the Maracana), the same stadium where Sweden will face Serbia tonight.
At the press conference before tonight’s game, Serbian journalists had only one question for Janne Andersson about a Swedish player: should Daniel Sondgren play.
– Nice to be mentioned in Serbia as well. This “hurt” them a little. They may have thought they would advance to the Champions League, says Sundgren, who believes a move to Israel has also benefited him as a player.
– I think I raised myself.
Chances of starting against Serbia (between him and Joel Anderson in the absence of Emil Crafth)?
I think I’ve done well in training and faced some of the best players in the world lately. I’m in shape.
The 31-year-old refers to the fact that he met players like Kylian Mbappe and Leo Messi at Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last week.
But that match he had to come out in the 55th minute when his pulse quickened.
– Of course it was scary. Now you have a daughter to think of, too. Six years ago I could have played. I have matured. I was in ‘illness’ after that and did many tests.
But they didn’t show anything serious, and Sundgren was able to continue training and playing.
– They say they are due to primary stress. I can understand that because I was very nervous in Greece. I didn’t get my paycheck on time and there was a lot of other stuff.
“Then I will get a salary increase.”
After the success in Maccabi Haifa, Israeli media reported that Sundgren could become an Israeli citizen.
– it’s a long story. My friend’s family has Jewish roots and in this way it is possible. But he says there are a thousand documents to go through before they are ready.
In Israel, clubs are allowed to have a limited number of foreign players. If Sundgren becomes an Israeli citizen, he is counted as a “local” player.
– I will be like the golden ticket to the club because after that they can bring in another foreign player. If it turns out to be working, I’d be very valuable. Then I will get a salary increase too, he smiles.
At the moment, the issue is not up for discussion.
– They pressed before the transfer window closed, so I guess they will continue when the next window opens. We’ll see then.
But he will not risk losing his Swedish citizenship.
– I think you should be able to have both. He says, but other than that I won’t turn.