Football memories: The Danish football breakthrough.

By Karsten Fyhn

It is amazing how Danish football has changed over the last 25 years. When I was a child back in the 70's, people was still talking about the silver medal Denmark won at the Olympiad 1960 in Rome. Especially they were talking about the semi-final against Hungary and a spectacular penalty save by the Danish keeper, where he before the kick placed his chewing gum on one of the posts and then saved the kick! Older people also talked about the Olympiad in London 1948 where Denmark won 5-3 against Italy and won the bronze medals. After the tournament many of the Danes went to Italy to play in the Italian league with great success. These stories was told again and again and where the highlights in Danish football history until 1984. There was also the curious tale about Denmark reaching the last 4 in the European Championship 1964 after an extreme luck in the drawings. They met Luxembourg in the quarter-finals! After that happening UEFA introduced seeding!

Back in the 70's Denmark always ended last or second last in the qualification groups for the big tournaments and qualification for a big event seemed to be an impossible dream. A single good result now and then like winning a friendly away game against our old arc rival Sweden in 1976 or beating Spain in a friendly in 1979 was all we could hope for.

Now 25 years after the friendly win against Spain qualifying for a big event is business as usual and is expected every time by the fans. Who could know after finishing last in our qualification group for the European Championship in 1980 Denmark 24 years later has been playing in all 6 European Championships final tournaments played since. Leaving only Germany with a better record participating 9 times in a row. Even though in 1992 Denmark only joined the final tournament after the exclusion of Yugoslavia because of an UN ban. Another irony of football history that 1992 turned out to be the magic year for Denmark. Joining the tournament as a lucky looser, to use a tennis phrase, they went all the way winning the championship!

In 1984 Denmark for the first time played in a big tournament, the European Championship in France and two years later Denmark for the first time played in the World Cup. At the time it seemed a miracle. Little Denmark playing against all the big countries. Even winning against mighty Germany at the World Cup in Mexico 1986. With players like Elkjær, Simonsen, Arnesen, Lerby, Morten Olsen and a very young Michael Laudrup all of them today Danish legends the Danish team played samba football, nicknamed "the Brazilians of the north", they won the hearts of football fans all over the world.

In only a few years Denmark moved from being one of the weaker teams in Europe to be a real power in football. It seemed to be to good to last. The general expectation among Danish football fans was that this would only last a few years until this very talented generation grew old. But following the success of the 80's new generations was gaining faith in their hearts that Danish football success was possible and new generations of talented players came forward and the Danish football adventure is still continuing to this day.

It all started with the miracle on Wembley in September 1983. Denmark played a decisive qualifying match against England. Denmark sensational won 1-0 on a penalty goal by Allan Simonsen. In the dying minutes the Danish goal keeper Ole Kjær made a fantastic save earning him immortality in the minds of Danish football fans.

This match also was the start of the Danish fan culture later known as "the Roligans". The Roligan movement started in a time where football was haunted by violent hooligans. Roligans opposed to hooligans was peaceful football fans partying, singing and drinking beers but being non-violent. In many ways Danish Roligans, receiving the FIFA fair play prize for the positive and friendly behaviour after the World Cup in '86, was trend setters for modern football fan, making the big football events into big parties and not battles.

It was for the match on Wembley the slogan "We are red, we are white, we are Danish dynamite" for the first time was used. I think it originated as the winning slogan in a competition a Danish newspaper made to find a new slogan for the Danish team. In September 2003 the Danish Dynamite exploded for the first time in a no lesser place than the Mecca of football; Wembley stadium in London.

The miracle on Wembley did however not come out off the blue. This breakthrough of Danish football was carefully prepared, and the preparations started 5 years earlier when the Danish Football Federation hired the German Sepp Piontek to be the new coach for the Danish team. The win in a friendly against Spain in 1979 was one of Sepp Piontek's first games coaching the Danish taem. Ironically that Spain later bacame the big stumbling stone for Denmark. Spain sent Denmark out in the Semifinals in 1984 and again in the World Cup in 1986 in one of the most traumatic defeats a Danish team has suffered. And it was also Spain who denied Denmark participation in the World Cup in '94. But this was in '79 still far into the future.

Sepp Piontek started to transform the Danish team in '79. First of all he changed the spirit of the team. And the idea about a "honourable defeat", something the Danish team has suffered many times in the past, was discarded. Sepp Piontek changed the spirit on the Danish team from being relaxed to become a hard working unity with a big winning hunger. In the beginning this change gave some confrontations between Piontek and some of the old established stars on the Danish team and some of the old stars was consequently fired from the national team. But new talented players was coming forward to take their places and Sepp Piontek was the right man at the right place at the right time to put these talented players together in a winning team. The first warning to Europe was a 3-1 win against Italy in '81 in a qualifier for the 1982 World Cup. However Denmark did not qualify. Italy did and won the World Championship!

When the qualifying tournament for 1984 European Championship started the new Danish team was ready. And as we say. The rest is history. A history still being written in 2004 where a new chapter is added at Euro2004 in Portugal!

Copyright 2004 Karsten Fyhn. All rights reserved.