When we landed in the far northwest of Europe late Thursday afternoon, night had already almost fallen and the polar wind was blowing the icy drizzle horizontally. Absurdity of the umbrella, change of scenery and invigorating air guaranteed. In these lava landscapes drawn in black pencil, between two comings and goings of windshield wipers, a glow at the side of the road: the floodlights of a football stadium where two teams are shaking each other as if nothing had happened. Given the weather, we didn’t roll down the window to ask for the score, but we noticed, and this will be the case several times over the fifty kilometers separating us from Reykjavik, huge hangars adjoining the lawns. In fact, sheltered grounds allowing play in all seasons. The Icelandic government decided to build them at the beginning of the millennium, both to encourage the practice of sport – the obesity figures were worrying – and to improve the overall level. Bingo: in 2016, the national team reached the quarter-finals of the Euro, humiliating England (1-0) and today it remains that of the smallest state to have played in a World Cup, in 2018 in Russia.
“The match against the English, I remember it as if it were yesterday, rewinds Eyjolfur Hedinsson, the general manager of Breidablik, Strasbourg’s future opponent in the Conference League. I was late for a meeting and drove through an absolutely empty capital. I had never seen that. Everyone was either in front of the TV or at the stadium in France. The party had been memorable, our “clapping” had become famous. » (Laughs.) And it doesn’t matter if the Blues had immediately put an end (5-2) to the formidable run of the partners of Eidur Gudjohnsen, the greatest Icelandic player in history, notably winner of the Champions League with Barcelona in 2009. “This golden generation has uninhibited our football, I would almost say our country, and sparked countless vocations. » In his impeccable forties, with the false air of Marat Safin under his black cap, Hedinsson offers us a tour of the owner. Finally, it is quickly said: in Iceland, it is the local authorities which manage the clubs and appoint the leaders. Despite its European status, for both boys and girls, Breidablik remains an all-sports institution open to all. During our visit to the southern suburbs of the capital, we will see entire classes arriving from the neighboring school to perfect their badminton.
From 18th to 74th place in the world
So goes the local system, condemned to transform its colossal constraints – climatic, geographical and demographic – into assets. At the headquarters of KSI, the Icelandic football federation located in the bowels of Laugardalsvöllur, the largest stadium in the country (10,000 seats), we welcome the Tangwall Campagin without fuss amid the noise of a drill. From the large bay windows, we can see President Toddy Örlygsson parking his car in the middle of the car park, like any employee. His office is large and warm, and he admits that hatching flocks of high-level players with a pool of around 30,000 licensees (20,000 men and 10,000 women, compared to 2.3 million for France) constitutes a “permanent challenge”.
In seven years, Iceland has gone from 18th to 74th place. The famous golden generation may have played too many matches, Covid has accelerated island isolation and an improbable sex scandal surrounding two players has thrown a huge chill in the middle of the #MeToo wave in 2021. “It took us a while to digest it, recognizes the former Nottingham Forest and Stoke City midfielder. We have worked hard to restore the image of our national team, which means so much to all of us. Above all, we tried to learn lessons from it so that it doesn’t happen again. » A sign that times are improving, the two posters for this month of October are sold out, which has not happened since the end of the pandemic.
Iceland is the least populated country to have played in a World Cup
Because in the wake of Lille strategist Hakon Haraldsson (read our exclusive interview) and promising Real Sociedad scorer Orri Oskarsson (whose absence against Ukraine on Friday was detrimental), the selection has given itself both a facelift and a boost, as evidenced by the resounding victory against Azerbaijan in September (5-0). “A fantastic performance, smiles Örlygsson. The work of our new coach Arnar Gunnlaugsson, whom you knew well in France since he played at Sochaux (1995-1997), is starting to bear fruit. In Paris, we were not far from bringing home a point (2-1 defeat), and the players were very proud of their performance. We have absolute respect for your football and we have never beaten France (12 wins and 4 draws for the Blues). But with us, everything is possible, all the time. »
In the corridors of Laugardalsvöllur on Friday evening, the fans of Strakarnir Okkar (“Our guys”, the nickname of the selection) were convinced, despite the defeat (3-5), that in the short or medium term, their team would return to the highest level. “If it is not this time in the World Cup, it will be at the next Euro or in 2030 for the centenary World Cup,” promises Jon, Viking helmet (in velvet) on his head.
Here, no virulent outing against international authorities, so readily vilified in our latitudes. The Icelanders know perfectly well that their football benefits from the expansion of formats, firstly the World Cup to 48 countries, which increases the chances of qualification, but also the creation of the Conference League, the “small” European Cup, which opens new perspectives for local teams. “The Champions League, it’s not even worth thinking about, slice Eyjolfur Hédinsson. Our Breidablik club was the first in the country to participate in a group stage of a UEFA competition (2023-2024), and that changes almost everything: financially, because each point brings in money, and sportingly, because travel allows us to gain experience. »
The manager rightly insists on the crippling specificities of a semi-professional championship – most of the players have a job off the field – which is interrupted at the end of October for five months and leaves the teams without rhythm at the worst time. Not very fortunate, Icelandic clubs have to tinker to set up training courses abroad or welcome good quality opponents.
“Hard work”
Fortunately, there is the X factor, the one that allows us to triumph over almost all obstacles: the national character. Trained at OM and former Beveren defender, Cédric d’Ulivo spent three seasons at Hafnarfjördur, in the Icelandic first division (2017-2020). He is one of the rare French people to have attempted the adventure. “There is a lot less pressure and life is simpler, he summarizes. It is an experience that I recommend, both on a sporting and human level. They are really hard workers (smile), quite strict in everything they do. » Work, the word is out. “It is a cardinal value, recognizes Hedinsson. No matter how hard we try to play well, to have style, in the end, what will make the difference is everything we achieve together. We define ourselves above all by effort and the collective. » Toddy Örlygsson also sees the practical side of things: “Sometimes it’s good to be a small nation. We don’t have to go far to find our best players, they are right before our eyes, with a network of very competent coaches who are all qualified, from a very young age. Cohesion is easy, everyone knows each other. Our players have dreams and they all want to surpass themselves to achieve them. »
This dream has a name: England. In Iceland, the Premier League crushes everything. “We’ve been watching it since TV was in black and white”laughs the boss of KSI. Each resident has their favorite team and each champion seed hopes to play there one day, illustrating an unavoidable contradiction: if the Icelander loves his country above all else, he only aspires to leave it at one point or another in his life. “Look at music or literature, where we have world stars, explains Hedinsson. We are a people of travelers and ambitious people. When one of us succeeds, whether it’s Björk or Eidur Gudjohnsen, we want to do the same, to show that we are good. Because of this harsh climate in winter, with only four hours of sunlight a day, we develop a kind of survival instinct. Look at our sports facilities, they are correct, but it is legitimate to want to go higher. »
This is materialized by legions of expatriates: Breidablik alone currently has around twenty veterans in Europe and the number of Icelandic players abroad is estimated at 80. For a country whose population is less than that of Toulouse, the figure is dizzying. If the best elements generally fly to Scandinavia or the Netherlands for very modest sums, it is the following transfers which allow clubs to receive training compensation that is as substantial as it is vital. Thus the story can continue with more or less glorious chapters depending on the seasons. But the saga of Icelandic football remains unparalleled. “A match or a goal can change the destiny of a nation,” concludes Toddy Örlygsson. We saw it in 2016 and 2018, and we want to once again make all our compatriots proud. »
