Why Denmark have named futsal players in its 24-man squad ahead of the Slovakia and Wales games

The Danish Football Association (DBU) has named a squad of Futsal players and lower league footballers ahead of their fixtures against Slovakia and Wales.

The DBU and senior Danish internationals have been at odds over commercial rights recently, with the country’s star players refusing to sign a new team agreement.

As a result, the DBU has been forced to name a squad full of Futsal players and footballers from the lower leagues, with Danish Superliga and First Division players having not been made available for selection.

In the absence of their top players, the DBU has named just eight 11-a-side specialists in their squad. Players from Avarta, Skovshoved IF, IF Skjold Birkerød, Hellerup IK, Hillerød Fodbold, clubs from the Danish second division, make up a third of the 24-man squad. Five members had previously been named in Denmark’s most recent Futsal squad from May.

Players from fourth-tier clubs Jægersborg Boldklub, Vanløse IF and Kastrup Boldklub have also been called up, while manager Age Hareide and assistant Jon Dahl Tomasson will not take charge of the team. John Jensen, a former midfielder for Arsenal, has assumed the head coach’s duties for the upcoming games, the DBU having decided that Hareide should not be involved with the team being made up of players he did not select.

What do Denmark’s top players say?

According to Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Christian Eriksen, the Danish Football Players’ Association (Spillerforeningen) offered to extend their old deal with the DBU by a month, allowing them to fulfil these fixtures before finding a solution and thus preventing sanctions from Uefa.

However, it appears no agreement could be found. Eriksen, according to BBC Sport, said: “We again offer a temporary extension of the old agreement – and then we travel to Slovakia today.

“All in all, the whole national team, together we enter the agreement and together we save the face of Danish football. We are right here and want to play football for Denmark – as always.

“We have to solve this conflict now, not just dig the ditches deeper. So we’re happy to extend our hand again… let’s renew the old deal by one month.”

(Photo credit JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images)

What would happen if Denmark had to cancel the games vs Wales and Slovakia?

DBU chief executive officer Claus Bretton-Meyer has stressed how important it is for Denmark to play these fixtures, regardless of what team they field, with their women’s side having already boycotted a World Cup qualifier against Sweden last year due to a dispute over working conditions. The DBU was fined £18,000 as a result of the strike last October and warned they will be barred from entering any Uefa competition if it cancels a match in the next four years.

Bretton-Meyer said: “It is crucial for the future of Danish football. If the games are not played, we may be fighting millions in fines and exclusions for both national teams – and Danish football will be returned to the stone age in many areas.”

So whatever squad they end up playing with, Denmark take on Slovakia on Wednesday before kicking off their Uefa Nations League campaign against Wales on Sunday.

What is Fustal?

The Spanish-language term Futsal loosely translates to ‘indoor football’ and it is perhaps closer to five-a-side than association football, in that it is played on a smaller area about the size of a basketball court with smaller goals. It originated in Uruguay in 1930 and prizes skill in technique, quick-thinking and improvisation through its emphasis on the importance of dribbling.

Many contemporary footballing stars spent their youth playing futsal, especially those hailing from Brazil, such as Neymar, Philippe Coutinho and the new Liverpool goalkeeper, Alisson. Exponents of the sport can also be found among legendary former players of world football’s most successful nation. “Futsal makes you think fast and play fast,” Pele, the three-time World Cup winner, once said. “You try things, it makes you dribble. It makes you a better player.”

The Denmark national men’s futsal team participated in its first and only major tournament at the 1989 World Cup. They have not entered or qualified since.

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