Norway has become known internationally for producing football stars from Ole Gunnar Solkjær in the 1990s to, more recently, Erling Braut Haaland and Martin Ødegaard. Now the spectacular success of a football club in the small Northern Norwegian city of Bodø has revved up both the spirits and fortunes of clubs all over the country.
Bodø/Glimt, known for its bright yellow uniforms, has stunned football fans both at home and abroad as it made its way to the top of the Europa League in recent months. Now only Tottenham stands between the small Norwegian club and the finals, and Bodø/Glimt will have the home turf advantage next Thursday night.
The Bodø players lost to Tottenham in London this past Thursday night, but the 3-1 score was within the two-point spread that football experts like scout and commentator Lars Tjærnås thinks will give Bodø/Glimt a good chance in the next match. “Tottenham will, like nearly all the teams that are guests in Bodø, be scared by the Aspmyra ghost,” he wrote in newspaper Aftenposten this week. He was referring to the bad luck often encountered by the away team at Bodø’s small Aspmyra Stadium, which only has seats for 8,270 fans.
More than 50,000 are still on a waiting list for tickets at next week’s match, which will be attended by, among others, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and her son, Prince Sverre Magnus. International media have also been flocking around the team and its now-legendary coach Kjetil Knutsen, who has led Bodø/Glimt to victories over clubs like Olympiakos and Lazio. He’s said to have “revolutionized” Norwegian football through his emphasis on offensive play, and even if Bodø/Glimt doesn’t make it to the finals against big clubs like Manchester United or AC Bilbao, commentator Reidar Sollie thinks they’ve lifted Norwegian clubs to a whole new level.
NewsinEnglish.no staff