The DBU football association appointed Kasper Hjulmand, who guided FCN to the 2012 Superliga title, as the new Danish national coach from July 2020 – just 48 hours after the incumbent, Åge Hareide, oversaw a 5-1 demolition of Georgia.
Hareide and his assistant Jon Dahl Tomasson have guided Denmark through 28 consecutive matches without a defeat in 90 minutes, and both were said to be miffed by the timing.
Hjulmand, 47, has recruited Morten Wieghorst to be his assistant – a reversal of roles at FCN. Hareide, who is Norwegian, had a contract that was due to expire on 12 July 2020.
Under-21s misery
The defeat of Georgia followed a disappointing 1-1 draw against Ireland half a week earlier, but their sadness could not compare with how the under-21s felt after being eliminated from the 2019 Euros in Italy on Sunday – a result that means they won’t be at the 2020 Olympics.
The Danes needed to beat Serbia by at least three goals to overtake the hosts as the best second-placed team, and at 2-0 looked likely to do so.
But when they scored a VAR-approved goal on the hour mark, the Belarussian referee had to disallow it because he had already blown his whistle.
In the end, though, Italy didn’t make it either!
Ofelia Plads fanzone
In related news, a fanzone will be created at Ofelia Plads in Copenhagen for Euro 2020 from June 12 until July 12.
Expecting to see more than 10,000 guests every day, the area will have a supply of food, concerts, events and football on outdoor screens.
Four games will take place at Parken – three group games and a round of 16 stage match – on June 13, 18, 22 and 29.
Well it’s high time
High jumper Janick Klausen leapt to a new Danish record of 2.28 metres on June 20, beating Michael Mikkelsen’s 28-year-old record by a centimetre. In related news, Anna-Emilie Møller set a Danish record in the 3,000-metre steeplechase at the Diamond League competition in Oslo on June 13, where she finished ninth. Her time of 9 minutes 24.21 seconds means she will represent Denmark at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Danes on the oche
Attendances at the Danish Darts Open at Brøndby Stadion over the weekend of June 15-16 confirmed the growing popularity of the sport. Around 15,000 tickets were sold, while Danish Darts Union membership numbers have doubled to over 3,000 in the last decade. In related news, Brøndby is introducing facial recognition technology at its stadium to ensure banned individuals cannot attend matches.
No Superliga Saturdays
The Superliga has confirmed there will be no Saturday matches this season, with the majority taking place on Sundays, along with additional fixtures on Fridays and Mondays. The league wants to boost attendances, as it believes many fans are divided between going to Saturday games and watching foreign football on television.
Nordic Noir author a Brit
Chris Paton, an English expat, has seen sales of his Nordic Noir books soar since he changed his nom de plume to Christoffer Petersen. The former teacher, who sometimes uses Danglish to give the impression he is Danish, has sold 25,000 books since releasing his debut novel in January 2017 – the first of many. He makes the same income as a part-time teacher.
Trailblazer in strange booze
A US chef, who is based in Copenhagen and is the former head of the Nordic Food Lab, has made the 10-person shortlist for the prestigious Basque Culinary World Prize. At Empirical Spirits, Lars Williams is a trailblazer in making alcoholic beverages with strange tastes – such as chicken skin and fir trees.
Top shape for Tour de France
Jakob Fuglsang eased to an overall victory in the Critérium du Dauphiné on June 16 – his second victory in the race. He is the third favourite to win the Tour de France, which starts on July 6.
Handball group of death
Denmark’s women have received a tough draw for the Handball World Championship later this year. Their group includes champions France along with South Korea and Brazil. Denmark are sixth favourites to win the tournament, which starts in Japan on November 30.
Dane wins Junior French Open
Holger Rune, 16, won the Junior French Open on June 8, beating Toby Kodat 6-3, 6-7, 6-0. He is now the world number two and the first Danish male to win a junior grand slam title since 1999, when Kristian Pless won the Australian Open.
Mads to play drunk teacher
Mads Mikkelsen has been cast in a Danish-language film – Thomas Vinterberg’s upcoming ‘Druk’ – in which he will play an alcoholic gymnasium teacher. However, filming was delayed following the tragic death of Vinterberg’s 19-year-old daughter in a traffic accident in early May.
Karrusel’s next stop
The organisers of Distortion have confirmed they will be relocating their popular Odense festival Karrusel to the capital this August. With a focus on house and techno music, there will be room for 2,500 guests at the two-stage site on Refshaleøen from August 30-31.
All female stage crew
The first ever all-female Danish stage crew took charge of the stage at the Spot music festival from May 2-4 in Aarhus. Out of the 700 sound engineers working in Denmark, only ten are female, so the group had to recruit some from abroad.
DR’s new app
DR is currently trialing the new version of its streaming service DRTV ahead of an official launch in the autumn. Viewers have until July 17 to select the new app, or otherwise they will have to wait.
Stardom beckons
Danish actress Clara Rugaard is on the verge of becoming a household name after co-starring with Hilary Swank in an acclaimed new Netflix film ‘I Am Mother’, which was released last week.
Rapper crashes out of Roskilde
Chance the Rapper has pulled out of this year’s Roskilde Festival. Wu-Tang Clan have been signed up to fill the void.
