Former Leeds United player 'under investigation' by club following alleged 'hooligan' incident

Former Leeds United defender Pontus Jansson has been left out of the most recent Malmo squad after allegedly informing ‘hooligans’ where his side’s opponents were staying the night before a game.

Swedish outlet Aftonbladet reports that Jansson has agreed to sit out Saturday’s Allsvenskan fixture against IF Brommapojkarna after being informed of the situation. A ‘preliminary investigation’ is said to show contact between the 33-year-old defender and one of Malmo’s ‘violent supporter factions’.

A number of Malmo supporters were forced to hand in their phones after being arrested, following a violent clash with Djurgården fans last year. And Jansson’s name has shown up in a group chat, with allegations now claiming he disclosed the location of rivals Elfsborg before the two teams met last season.

"Pontus Jansson has declared that he is remorseful and that he feels affected by the situation that has arisen,” a Malmo statement read, as published by Aftonbladet. “After consultation between the players and the association, a joint decision has been made that Jansson will stand over this weekend's match against the Brommapojkarna"

The report goes on to say that after hearing their location had been shared, Elfsborg moved their overnight stay, having moved in a neutral bus. Jansson has since apologised for being part of the group chat and is now under an internal investigation.

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“Everyone knows that I have a great commitment to Malmö FF and the support for the association and the team,” Jansson said in a statement published by Aftonbladet. “When the results failed in 2022, I played in England and was then invited to a chat group where Malmö FF was discussed. My intentions were purely good, I wanted to see if there was any way I could contribute to strengthening support for the team and help turn the team's performance around. 

“In retrospect, I fully understand that I was in a context that I should not have been a part of. I should have left the group, which I have now done, already when I returned to Malmö FF last summer. This is also why, when I found out what suspicions there were against others in the group, I immediately turned to the association.”

Jansson spent three seasons at Leeds United, the first of which was on loan from Torino before eventually making the move permanent, and quickly became a much-loved figure at Elland Road. The Swedish international’s battling personality endeared him to supporters and he was almost part of a promotion-winning squad during Marcelo Bielsa’s first year in charge, only to lose against Derby County in the play-off semi-finals.

The following summer, despite being almost ever-present all season, Jansson was quickly put up for sale and offloaded to Brentford for around £5million. Reports have suggested that there was tension between the defender and Bielsa, stemming from a late return to pre-season training.

Jansson did get his promotion eventually, playing a huge role as Brentford won the 2021 Championship play-offs. The Swede spent two seasons as a top-flight regular under Thomas Frank and played against Leeds before returning to boyhood club Malmo in 2023, where he won the Allsvenskan in his first year back.