The incident occurred with less than five minutes left in the third period, with Thorengruppen leading 8–3, prompting the referees to blow the whistle to stop play. Malmö's 18-year-old forward Fanny Lilja was given a red card and left the court in tears, but TV footage later revealed it was her teammate Yamou Njai who threw the roll, as the referees did not observe who committed the act. Malmö's coach Patric Johansson had to choose who would receive the penalty, and the team chose to point out an innocent player.
The Swedish Floorball Federation's referee chief Mattias Linell says the referees acted correctly, noting that the team captain has an obligation to assist the referees and inform them who committed the infraction. According to SVT Nyheter, Mattias Linell described that the referees could not have acted differently when Malmö chose to do as they did, while Patric Johansson described the decision as extremely tough and one he never wanted to make. The disciplinary consequences for pointing out an innocent player and the official response from Malmö's club have not been confirmed.
It's tough decisions to make. Extremely tough. I simply have to make a choice and then the choice fell there. It's a decision you would never want to make.
The referees could not have acted differently when Malmö chose to do as they did.