“In Klaksvik, stress does not exist and life is quite calm. But, for the past month, the daily life of some 5,000 souls in this fishing town in the Faroe Islands (constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark) has been turned upside down by the course of KI Klaksvik, the archipelago’s historic football club (20 national championship titles). On Wednesday August 2, Magne Hoseth’s men took a new step by qualifying for the third qualifying round of the next Champions League (C1) by beating Swedish club BK Häcken (3 -3, 4-3 tab).
A victory that already guarantees KI Klaksvik participation in the first European competition in its history. “Since last night, I have been contacted by dozens of journalists from all over the world,” laughs Magne Hoseth, the team’s coach, still on the bus back to Gothenburg airport (Sweden). Because, plane then ferry, the journey that awaits KI Klaksvik – the club must play Sunday, August 6, the 17? day of the Faroese championship against Streymur – is like its journey to join the group stages of the C1 : endless.
Surprise winner of Hungarian club Ferencvaros TC in the first qualifying round (3-0 after combining the results of the two matches), KI Klaksvik – ranked 157th in the UEFA rankings – will face Molde FK in the third and final preliminary round. The reigning Norwegian champion is a regular in European competitions with five Champions League appearances and sixteen Europa League appearances.
800,000 euros de budget
“Our course is really incredible and the penalty shootout [on Wednesday] was unbreathable, says Magne Hoseth, still fascinated. We are a small team and the players never imagined feeling these kinds of emotions, even in their wildest dreams. A prophet in his country, the club based in Klaksvik is a little Thumb on a European scale. Arrived in November 2022 at the head of the team – his first experience as head coach – this great admirer of the methods of Jürgen Klopp (Liverpool) has a budget very different from that of his counterpart: 800,000 euros.
The Faroe Islands championship (Betrideildin) being semi-professional, “the players all combine their football activity with a second job”, explains the former Norwegian international (21 caps, 1 goal). Right-back Joannes Danielsen (25) and left-winger Jonn Johannesen (21), for example, are electricians. “Some are fishermen, others breeders [the whole of this Danish territory has 80,000 sheep for 50,000 inhabitants], and Arni Frederiksberg, double scorer [Wednesday], has his own business. All the players don’t train at the same time and I have to do according to each, “explains Magne Hoseth.
Despite its soaring cliffs, Tolkien-esque waterfalls, and jaw-dropping scenery, the “Land of Maybe” (so-called by the English during World War II) continues to be off-putting to visitors. A ninth-century Viking settlement, Kraksvik is “often shrouded in fog,” Magne Hoseth confesses.
“Many agents called our players”
“It’s a small community where everyone knows each other and helps each other. Football is far from being the priority, but it provides visibility. The recent performances of the team, which trains in a grandiose and intimidating panorama, are starting to arouse envy. “Many agents have called our players. But, good luck recruiting them! quipped the 42-year-old coach.
If they qualify after the two matches against Molde (return matches on August 8 and 15), KI Klaksvik will challenge Young Boys Bern in the play-offs. Faced with the Swiss club, titled sixteen times in the Super League (Swiss first division), “it will only be a bonus”. A victory would allow for a historic qualification in the Champions League and, in the event of defeat, the Faroese will be transferred to the Europa League. In these two configurations, “it will not be easy to find a place at Vio Djupumyrar [the stadium of KI Klaksvik] among the 4,000 available”, according to Magne Hoseth. Tonight, Klaksvik’s welcome to its heroes “is likely to be eventful”. An enchanted parenthesis in this haven of peace.