PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Roony Bardghji finally gets the chance in the national team.
Or?
Swedish football’s greatest promise for the future may become a victim of its own success.
If FC Copenhagen advances in the Champions League, there is a big risk that the club will not let him go on the January tour to Cyprus.
Roony Bardghji, recently turned 18, has been successful in FCK during the autumn. He received tangible international recognition when he scored a classy goal to defeat (4–3) Manchester United at home at Parken.
In addition, he has produced seven goals in the Danish league.
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Former national team captain Jan Andersson was criticized for not picking the super talent in the European Championship qualifying squad against Azerbaijan and Estonia in November. Bardghji himself was surprised and expressed in interviews wondering what was required to get a seat.
Now Andersson is gone and the U21 manager Daniel Backström has temporarily taken over as national team captain. If not the union leadership – with the new general secretary Andrea Mollerberg in the lead – manages to find a permanent replacement just in time for departure, Bäckström leads the national team camp in Cyprus.
The national team will fly there on January 3. But if Roony Bardghji is in the squad then it remains to be seen.
Nice attitude
FCK has previously had a very relaxed approach to releasing Swedish players for January tours. Partly because they have clashed with the club’s own operations, partly because the club has no obligation whatsoever.
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The tour with associated international matches takes place outside the sanctioned national team dates. Daniel Bäckström is aware of the risk of FCK stopping Bardghji.
– FCK has said we can call the players, then we have to wait and see what happens. I am very happy that FCK said that he is available in this situation, he says.
On Tuesday of next week, FC Copenhagen plays a directly decisive match against Galatasaray at home at Parken. Victory in the match guarantees a place in the Champions League round of 16 in February, third place in the group means further play in the Europa League. If FCK has European games to look forward to later this winter, the chance that the club will release Bardghji and Jordan Larsson, who has also been selected, is significantly reduced.
Nordsjälland is a Danish club that immediately said no to releasing players. Benjamin Nygren and Daniel Svensson were both relevant for the winter tour.
“Damn, what fun”
Daniel Bäckström spoke with Roony Bardghji as recently as Monday.
– He is very much looking forward to hopefully making it happen and that he will travel with us in January.
“Damn, what fun” was Bardghji’s reaction to the selection, according to Bäckström.
– He is extremely stubborn. I have known Roony and been able to work with him for about a year. What I think has been cool about Roony’s development, if I go back to March-April when I visited him for the first time, he sat on the bench and said “I just want the chance to show what I’m all about here at FCK”.
– If there is something he has managed to do, it is to back up the talk during the past autumn, to be able to play the football he has done, partly in the club team, partly in the U21 national team, says Bäckström.
The A national team players Philip Helander, Samuel Gustafson and Viktor Claesson were all up to date but getting a much needed holiday.
The squad is a mix of young and more experienced players. In the latter category are included Niklas Hult, Nahir Besara, Anton Saletros and Isaac Kiese Thelin.
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Goalkeepers
Oliver Dovin, Hammarby
Noel Törnqvist, Mjällby
Jacob Widell Zetterström, Djurgården
Defender
Samuel Dahl, Djurgården
Noah Eile, Malmö FF
Victor Eriksson, IFK Värnamo
Victor Larsson, do
Niklas Hult, Elfsborg
Johan Karlsson, Kalmar FF
Markus Karlsson, Hammarby
Edwin Kurtulus, d
Jesper Tolinsson, IFK Norrköping
Midfielder/striker
Erik Ahlstrand, Halmstad
Taha Ali, Malmö FF
Roony Bardghji, Copenhagen
Lucas Bergvall, Djurgården
Nahir Besara, Hammarby
Armin Gigovic, Central Jutland
Jordan Larsson, Copenhagen
Samuel Leach Holm, Djurgården
Sebastian Nanasi, Malmö FF
Oskar Pettersson, IFK Gothenburg
Otto Rosengren, Malmö FF
Anton Salétros, AIK
Momodou Sonko, Hedge
Isaac Kiese Thelin, Malmö FF
The camp takes place in Pafos, Cyprus, January 3–13. The national team meets Estonia on January 12. The goal is to get another international match.
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