December 2011 Round-Up:
30 December, 2011
B36 Tórshavn sign two offensive players
Champions B36 have strengthened their offensive options with the signing of Símin Hansen and Dánjal Rói Olsen.
29-year old attacking midfielder Hansen is best known for his time at B71 Sandoy where he was their star player in the latter years, but last season he joined Víkingur where he scored 5 goals, but maybe didn’t quite make the impact some had hoped and spent increasingly more time on the bench as the league progressed. He might continue in that role for B36 next season, but will be an asset on the bench when others need rest.
The sometimes controversial player has previously played for B36 – in 2006 – but was released from his contract midway through the season because of some controversy. His cards are often a talking-point, but last season he received none with the red colour, which he had collected 10 of in the previous 4 seasons.
Hansen has also had played for AB Argir in 2003 and 2004.
21-year old forward Dánjal Rói Olsen, who has signed a two-year contract, has had his upbringing at AB Argir, but played for 07 Vestur in the second half of last season where he scored 3 goals in 12 matches for the club. He has also appeared for Danish 3rd tier club B93. The forward is likely to spend some time on the bench for B36 next season.
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Brazilian left back Alex dos Santos to HB Tórshavn
HB Tórshavn have announced that they have signed 30-year old Brazilian left back Alex José dos Santos. Santos has been in the Faroe Islands since 2004 when he joined B36 Tórshavn. In the beginning he had a more offensive role, but was later moved to the fullback position where he has excelled since, and especially his long distance shots are renowned. After five seasons at B36, he joined EB/Streymur where he has been for the last three seasons. Six red cards in his eight years in the Faroe Islands tell that the temper sometimes boils over.
HB have also also announced that they will be adjusting the contracts - that’s lowering the wages - they have with current players, as the club has landed in financial difficulties, but not all of the players are ready to accept it and will therefore part with the club. It’s not known yet who those are.
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KÍ Klaksvík lose central defender Oddmar á Lakjuni
25-year old centre-back Oddmar á Lakjuni will be unavailable for KÍ in the future as he is moving to the USA to study – according to the plan for four years.
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Jóannes Jakobsen named assistant coach for the Faroe Islands
The Football Association has announced that they have appointed former Faroese international Jóannes Jakobsen as assistant coach for the national team. Jakobsen was the captain of the team that beat Austria in 1990 and played in total 25 matches for the Faroes Islands.
Interestingly, Jakobsen was the captain of the team that in 1990 met Denmark who had Lars Olsen as captain - the Faroes' current coach who was recently appointed.
17 December, 2011
More African strength to B68 Toftir
B68 Toftir have signed 24-year old Nigerian forward Emmanuel Ukpai who has been playing in Denmark in the last six years. According to reports, he’s said to be a really fast forward.
He joined BK Frem in 2006 where he had little success and went on to join 1st division club Ølstykke FC where he scored 22 goals in 46 appearances. This scoring rate caught the eye of Italian Seria A club Reggina who had the then 19-year old Ukpai on a trial, which however didn’t materialize into more. Instead he joined Danish club Esbjerg where he found it more difficult to find the goal, scoring only twice in 36 matches. After two years at Esbjerg he had a short spell at HB Køge in 2011 before he joined FC Fyn where his season was cut short because of injury.
B68 already have two Senegalese forwards in their squad, but they will both be out of action until the second half of the season because of long-term injuries.
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EB/Streymur's Daniel Udsen returns to Denmark
"The Faroese Danish" midfielder Daniel Udsen, who is eligible to play for the Faroe Islands because of his Faroese grandmother, has returned to Denmark where he has joined 2nd division club Elite 3000, after two seasons at EB/Streymur.
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Karl Løkin extends his contract with ÍF Fuglafjørður
20-year old midfielder Karl Løkin has put pen on paper to stay at ÍF Fuglafjørður for another season, as did his elder brother Bogi Løkin a weeks ago. The Løkin brothers have had their upbringing at NSÍ Runavík.
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B36 Tórshavn announces first training matches
Chapions B36 have announced that they will play their first pre-season match on 28 January away to KÍ Klaksvík. A week later the same teams meet in Tórshavn.
09 December, 2011
Revised World Cup qualifying schedule as FIFA and UEFA don't accept original Faroe Islands v Austria date
Originally, the Faroe Islands and Austria had agreed to play the first qualifying game for the 2014 World Cup in the Faroe Islands in June 2012; before the European Championship in Poland and Ukraine this summer.
However, this date was always subject to approval from FIFA and UEFA who have now turned down this match-date.
Instead, the match has been postponed to 15 October 2013.
That day had prior to the change been reserved for the Austria v. Faroe Islands match, but that match has now been rescheduled to 22 March 2013.
The revised fixture schedule is therefore as follows:
7 September 2012: Germany – Faroe Islands
12 October 2012: Faroe Islands - Sweden
16 October 2012: Faroe Islands – Ireland
22 March 2013: Austria – Faroe Islands
7 June 2013: Ireland – Faroe Islands
11 Juni 2013: Sweden – Faroe Islands
6 September 2013: Kazakhstan – Faroe Islands
10 September 2013: Faroe Islands - Germany
11 October 2013: Faroe Islands - Kazakhstan
15 October 2013: Faroe Islands - Austria
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Polish coach Piotr Krakowski returns to 07 Vestur
07 Vestur have announced that they have appointed Polish coach Piotr Krakowski as their new coach for next season. In 2011 Krakowski was coach at B71 Sandoy who were relegated alongside 07 Vestur.
This is the second spell for Krakowski at 07 Vestur as he was also their coach in 2008 and 2009. The first year he guided the team to promotion to the top division, but the visit was short as they were relegated the following season. In 1997, the Pole was also player/coach for FS Vágar who, more or less, has later become 07 Vestur.
Krakowski’s best result as a coach was winning the title with B36 Tórshavn in 2001. In 2006 he was ever so close with another title with EB/Streymur who were snubbed on the last day of the season by HB Tórshavn who scored their necessary goal against ÍF Fuglafjørður after 88 minutes while EB/Streymur were downed by KÍ Klaksvík after 84 minutes.
Krakowski originally came to the Faroe Islands in 1989 to play for newly promoted B71 Sandoy who surprisingly won the title without losing a single match. By many, the Polish midfielder is rated as the best player to have played in the Faroese league.
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07 Vestur opt for B68 Toftir goalkeeper Petur Meinhard Magnussen
A few weeks ago B68 singed 07 Vestur goalkeeper Hans Jørgensen. Now 07 Vestur have signed B68 goalkeeper Petur Meinhard Magnussen. 21-year old Magnussen has been second choice at B68 however, but has made 9 appearances in the top division since 2008; one of them for NSÍ Runavík.
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Senegalese Joseph Youssoupa Bassene to Víkingur
Víkingur have signed a contract with Senegalese offensive midfielder Joseph Bassene. The move will broaden Víkingur's squad, but it won’t make 07 Vestur to champions. Bassene played for both B71 Sandoy and 07 Vestur last season - scored 1 goal for each club - and both teams were relegated…
Bassene originally came to then second level TB Tvøroyri in 2008 where he played for 3 seasons, and scored around 10 goals each season. But it easier to score at second level, the stats prove.
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Bogi Løkin signs ÍF Fuglafjørður extension
It had been unclear where Faroe Islands international midfielder Bogi Løkin would ply his trade next season, but ÍF have now announced that Løkin will stay put for another season.
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Goalkeeper Jákup Mikkelsen another season at ÍF
Also goalkeeper Jákup Mikkelsen has signed a one-year extension to his ÍF contract. The 41-year old veteran had been in doubt whether he would take another season at the highest level or not as he had been battling injuries, but as the injuries have healed during the off-season, Mikkelsen is fit for fight again in 2012.
Mikkelsen was with his 41 years and 361 days the oldest player of the 2012 European Championship qualifying campaign when he played against Northern Ireland 10 August this year.
But will Mikkelsen “improve” on that record next year? Will the new national coach Lars Olsen also prefer Mikkelsen to some of the younger goalkeepers?
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Amusing story about a TB Tvøroyri fan club in Germany.
The Faroese website www.sudurras.com (website with content related to Suðuroy) had an amusing story about a group of men in Germany who have made a fan club/football club which they call “Tvøroyrar Bóltfelag”, which is the official name of “TB”, as it’s usually called in the Faroes. They participate in various indoor football tournaments in Germany.
In their first competition they didn’t get through from the preliminary round, but were however winners of the more prestigious title of drinking most beer!
As a tribute to bobble-hat goalkeeper Jens Martin Knudsden, all of the team’s players have Knudsen printed on their back, although Knudsen has never played for TB. All of the members also own a white bobble-hat, they say.
TB is not the only Faroese team to have fan club-teams in Europe as also B36 has one in Hungary, for example and HB Tórshavn have had one in the Czech republic, www.torshavn.wz.cz
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