REVEAL: Johannesson resigns as referee – gets new role

Of: Robert Laul

Published: December 13, 2020 at 8:25 p.m.
Updated: December 13, 2020 at 10:44 p.m.

Photo: JESPER ZERMAN / BILDBYRÅN

Stefan Johannesson.

Stefan Johannesson ends up as referee.

But he gets a similar new position in the Swedish Football Association, SvFF.

– We will focus on the organization, says Johannesson, 49 years old.

The chairman of the judging committee, Peter Ekström, resigned earlier this week.

Now Sportbladet can reveal that Stefan Johannesson will have a different role in SvFF.

He will no longer be a chief judge, but he denies that he has anything to do with what emerged in police interrogations of the accused elite judge.

– No, he does not do it. Nothing, says Stefan Johannesson.

But will you no longer be a judge?

– I don’t think I’m going to have that title, no. I don’t know if that title will stand.

“Will do reorganization”

Why should you quit?

– We will only do a reorganization where we tip the organization to get the best out of the judges. I will focus more on the elite and the international. I will focus more on the elite judges, ladies and gentlemen, and in the international arena.

– But it’s not official yet, adds Stefan Johannesson.

Soon it will be.

– Yes, questions so you can probably get the answer.

Does all this coincide and Peter Ekström does not stay either?

– But it’s been going on for a long time. It has not arrived now. You just don’t have time. He has a new job and has had a lot to do with this year. Nor is it more dramatic than that.

“Continuing for a long time”

Were you already informed in February 2020 about the judge now accused? Appears in the police investigation.

– Yes, but there was nothing related to something like this. So no, we didn’t know.

During questioning, one person says that he has confirmed that the judge billed SvFF for the rental cars for SEK 90,000.

– Yes, but he returned it. I spoke to (XX) and there was an insurance case with a wrecked car. And in hindsight, it certainly wasn’t. But regardless, he paid that debt, it was settled with the finance department.

“I have not lied”

Have you lied in the media when you said you didn’t know about this judge?

– I didn’t lie about that, no.

Why did you continue to judge based on the information you received in February?

– Yes, but it was nothing. He paid off the debt he owed to SvFF for this rental car. Then it was no more. We had no information or any indication that it was anything strange.

In conclusion: do you think you should have turned a deaf ear in February when a person came and pointed out that there were irregularities surrounding this judge?

– No, I can’t do that. It’s easy to say in hindsight, but I had no idea there was something like this behind it.

In police interrogations, a penalty is mentioned in a match between (XX) and (XX) 2019. Is this situation something that makes you turn a deaf ear?

– No, it’s not. As far as I know, there are no connections between him and match-fixing. It has also been checked by the police, of course. From what I understand it’s just a miscalculated penalty and there are no match-fixing connections or patterns of play in it, says Stefan Johannesson.

Published: December 13, 2020 at 8:25 p.m.

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