Klaksvík is a town of just over 5,000 inhabitants in the northern parts of the Faroe Islands. In terms of population, the second largest city in the Faroe Islands corresponds to the municipality of Pornainen in Finland.
In the “center” of Tampere’s sister city, there is one particularly important structure for the city dwellers. The Við Djúpumýrar football stadium, which holds two and a half thousand spectators. It is the home of the football club Klaksvíkar Ítróttarfelag, KÍ for short.
– That stadium is precisely the center of the city. Klaksvík is an absolutely football-crazy town, describes the person from Faroe Islands FM1– media reporter Sigurjón Einarsson For Urheilu.
Einarsson has been able to follow KÍ’s summer games in the Champions League qualifiers, just like other Färsaari residents. They have already developed into the Faroe Islands’ greatest football achievement.
Tiny KÍ has already knocked out Hungarian champion Ferencváros and Swedish champion Häcken. On Tuesday night, it has a chance to knock Norway’s reigning champions Molde out of the Champions League. Molde, who just knocked out HJK at home in the previous round, is in a tight spot, as KÍ beat the Norwegians 2–1 in the opening match.
With a win, the people of Färsaare would go to the last qualifying round. There, the Turkish giant Galatasaray from the million city of Istanbul, who are clearly leading Olimpia Ljubljana in their own pair of matches, would most likely meet there. A place in the Conference League starting in the fall is already certain, for the first time in the history of Faroe Islands football.
How have the players from Färsaare, who work day jobs alongside football, become one of the most talked about football stories in Europe this summer?
“Everyone laughed at the vision that it must be so”
FM1’s Einarsson describes that a new page in the Faroe Islands’ futsal history has not been turned overnight or in just one summer.
The first steps in KÍ’s success story were taken in 2015. At that time, the club hired a head coach by Mikkjel Thomassen.
– When the club published Thomassen’s contract, it also brought out its vision for the future. KÍ very seriously announced that it intends to be the first club from Färsaare to play in the group stage of the European Cup tournaments, says Einarsson.
The reaction of local football people and especially the media spoke volumes.
– Almost everyone laughed at the vision that “I guess, what exactly are you smoking there”, says Einarsson with a smile.
However, the development has been clear. The financial investments in the development of the club have brought Klaksvík to the gates of the group places. Last season, a place in the Conference League was out of reach after KÍ lost to the Irish team Dundalk in the last qualifying round.
Thomassen was the best possible choice for Klaksvík’s future. The Faroese coach, who currently coaches the Norwegian premier league club Fredrikstad, was one of the most tactically aware of the island nation and created the foundation on which the current team rests.
Playing closely, KÍ runs a lot of kilometers as a team, defends sensibly and attacks fiercely. However, it is also able to vary its game plan and press from high.
– Its game identity is very clearly impressed on all players. Commitment is key.
Days at work, evenings on the field
Commitment is needed when talking about a semi-professional club. Although the team includes Faroe Islands national team players and foreign reinforcements, almost the entire KÍ team works day jobs.
For example, a national team player who has already scored six goals in the qualifying phase of the Champions League Árni Frederiksberg is the CEO of a wholesale company. The company happens to sell, for example, Norwegian Orkla products, such as well-known frozen pizza brands. This fact came up in the Norwegian media to the titleswhen the 31-year-old Frederiksberg scored two goals in the opening half in Molde’s net.
The team also includes electricians, boat repairmen, warehouse workers and machine operators. The days are long, especially now that the players get to live their European dream.
– Most of the players work in their day jobs with an “eight to four” daily rhythm. The representative team trains in the evenings from five to seven, which is followed by an hour or a half in the gym. During the season, there are five practices a week, during the training season about seven, Einarsson opens up the players’ everyday life.
The families of the players also participate in the big bet. Einarsson emphasizes how many sacrifices the families of semi-professionals are currently making.
– Eight hours at work, three to four hours with the team and a couple of hours with the family. Then dreams and the same again. They have to be really deeply involved in this and the importance of families is therefore really great.
The arrogant update of the Hungarians hit my own ankle
Current head coach, Norwegian Magne Hoseth has collected a lot of praise in the Faroe Islands for the development of the team’s game.
– The game has remained tactically wise, but at the same time streamlined. However, he has brought the most courage to the team’s play, which is reflected in these results, Einarsson sums up.
Perhaps the biggest bomb was arranged by KÍ right away in the first round.
“The Swedish champion is waiting for us in the next round, because it is certain that we will go on from this pair of matches!”
Reigning Hungarian champions Ferencváros Facebook page update before meeting the Faroese club, he was extremely self-confident. The Hungarians had no doubt that the country’s big club would beat KÍ.
However, the arrogance backfired. Klaksvík first played a goalless draw at home, after which they defeated their opponent in Budapest 3–0. All Ferencváros was left with was a shock and the team’s Russian head coach Stanislav Chertshesov got a shoe after an embarrassing performance.
– That social media update became the topic of everyone’s conversation here. And that certainly motivates the players as well. KÍ’s players have repeated that “someone might have laughed at us before, but no one does anymore”. They know how to take the people of Faroe Islands seriously now, Einarsson says.
Not “sudden professionalisation”, but an investment for the future
KÍ has already made history, and it has also achieved a payback for its previous financial investments. Seura Tiena earns about three million euros for its minimum achievement, i.e. a place in the group stage of the Conference League. Even now, the winnings in the qualifying rounds have accumulated quite a bit in the coffers.
However, KÍ does not aim for full professionalism of the players. The prize money is directed to the future, to the development of the academy and the club.
– We think things work well in the Faroe Islands this way. We can’t ask players to completely quit their day jobs. We have a good arrangement with the employers and things work, club president Dark Lervig commented to NRK.
– However, they have the opportunity and intention to “buy” some of their players out of their day jobs for a few months to watch European games, Einarsson tells about the club’s future.
According to Einarsson, the good European game bonuses in player contracts have also been one of Klaksvík’s ways to attract players to its representative team.
“If there were more charter planes, more fans would go”
On Tuesday evening at 20:00 Finnish time, we will see if Klaksvík’s Cinderella story continues in Molde as well. The starting points are tickling, because the opening part The people from Färsaare, who won 2–1, have not bowed in European games away from home even once.
Molde also receives a lot of visitors from an island in the Atlantic Ocean. According to Einarsson, 200-300 KÍ supporters travel to the west coast of Norway.
– If there were more charter planes to use, more supporters would go. Maybe a couple hundred more, Einarsson estimates.
However, the game day is historic. The inhabitants of the island group have enough to get excited about for the evening. Sigurjón Einarsson believes that the familiar recipe is KÍ’s support in the away game.
– This is a gigantic day for Faroese football. I believe that they will not counterattack as actively, but will stay more compact. Maybe there will be a draw, 1–1 or 0–0. Who knows! Einarsson decides.
Klaksvíkar Ítróttarfelag from the Faroe Islands will meet Molde FK from Norway today at 20:00 in the Champions League qualifiers. KÍ leads after the opening part with a total of 2–1.