Klaksvíkar Ítróttarfelag. Faroe Islands Association. In abbreviated form, the name of the club is KÍ.
Helsinki Football Club’s opponent in the last qualifying round of the Football Conference League is the sensation of last season’s European Games. KÍ sensationally progressed to the group stage of the Conference League last season, the first Faroese club ever.
HJK is challenged by a team of electricians, boat repairmen, warehouse workers and machine operators, as well as the CEO of a wholesale company.
KÍ’s players also have perhaps a tougher trick under their belts than HJK did last season: advancing to the group stage of the Euro tournament as a semi-professional club.
Rental footballers from their day jobs
Coming from a town of just over 5,000 inhabitants in the northern parts of the Faroe Islands, KÍ is the center of its football-crazy community. The players in the country’s minor league are semi-professionals, at least in KÍ’s shirt.
– 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. When the season is in progress, there are five practices a week, during the practice season about seven, a journalist from FM1 media from Färsaare Sigurjon Einarsson opened to Urheilu last year in connection with KÍ’s latest European adventure.
Last season, the people of Klaksvik, who received more than 3 million euros in prize money for entering the group stage and grabbing four points there, have been able to put their money to good use.
In previous years, KÍ has planned to use its funds to “rent” its players from their day jobs to become full-time professional soccer players for the European games. Chairman of the club Dark Lervig told the Norwegian broadcasting company NRK last year that the club does not aim for “sudden professionalisation”.
Basic principles of Scandinavian football
What, then, has taken Klaksvik until the group stage of the Conference League?
Last season, surprise factors also had their place. In Budapest, the capital of Hungary, in the camp of the green and white giant Ferencváros, the Faroese are still remembered with horror.
Before last season’s Champions League qualifier, an update was published on the club’s Facebook page, where the club’s ranks were already preparing for the next round’s opponent, the Swedish champion BK Häcken. “Because we won’t lose this pair of matches”, the text read.
It was funny. KÍ defeated Hungary’s traditional big club 3–0 on the Budapest team’s home field. Swedish champion BK Häcken also crashed, but the trip was interrupted first in the Champions League qualifiers to Norwegian champion Molde and then to Sheriff Tiraspol for the Europa League.
There’s more than just surprise tricks.
– They manage with the basic principles of Scandinavian football: good team play and physical play. They have been excellent in them, especially when you think about how much of an underdog position they have had, Urheilu’s football expert Markus Halsti describes.
Already last season, Klaksvík’s pride’s counterattacking was poison for the opponents. However, in addition to close defense, KÍ was capable of high exploitation play, which the head coach showed Magne Hoseth dangerousness of the group. However, now the group is led by a new name, Hoseth’s former second coach Espen Haug.
A rough trip and home advantage
HJK traveled to the islands of the North Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday. Flying to the Faroe Islands is not the easiest way to go, especially because of the heavy fog.
– The descent is rough, but at least the beautiful scenery awaits. Also a lot of sheep, they can even be on the roof of the hotel, Halsti, who also played matches in the Faroe Islands during his career, sets the mood.
Halsti himself played in the qualifiers for the European games in the Faroe Islands in the 2011-12 season against HB Tórshavn.
– As for the away game itself, it will be a close match in many ways. The home team will defend closely and the visitors have to be really careful in special situations. I remember from the away game how tight it was, even though we were huge early favorites in Malmö’s shirt.
In recent years, KÍ has been able to show its danger and especially its tenacity on its home field.
– Those are harsh conditions to make it, but when you think about the Nordic conditions, maybe HJK should have the best chances to make it there.
Goalkeeper and CEO
KÍ’s biggest domestic star and game leader is also a leader by day.
32-year-old Faroese national team striker and captain of the Klaksvik team 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. The last one made quite a lot of headlines in the Nordic countries, when KÍ first met the Swedish and then Norwegian champion teams.
Frederiksberg is a real goal spitter in the Champions League qualifiers. The Faroese scored six goals in six Champions League qualifying games last season. This season the pace continued, he scored five goals in four games for KÍ.
Fortunately for HJK, Frederiksberg has not been hit in the Europa League or Conference League qualifiers, nor in the group stage. However, the assists that led to the goal can be found in the statistics.
Now the top player from Färsaare has the opportunity to take KÍ to the group stage of the Conference League for the second time in a row. The stakes are high, as the winning club will receive 2.94 million euros in prize money for reaching the group stage.
Helsinki Football Club will face Klaksvíkar Ítróttarfelag on the away field in the 1st leg of the Conference League qualifiers. The winner of the match pair advances to the Conference League group stage to be played in the fall.