FC København (Denmark)

 

FC København is a professional football club from the Danish capital of Copenhagen that was formed on July 1st1992, following the merger of Kjøbenhavns Boldklub and Boldklubben 1903.

Kjøbenhavns Boldklub

Kjøbenhavns Boldklub (KB) had been formed as a sports club on April 26^th 1876 on the outskirts of the city at Fælledparken. The club had sections in cricket, tennis, badminton, swimming and pétanque. The football section would become extremely successful winning fifteen national titles.

The Landsfodboldturneringen as the championship was initially called was lifted in 1912-13, 1913-14, 1916-17, 1917-18, 1921-22 and 1924-25. The league was renamed Mesterskabsserien as Kjøbenhavns Boldklub won the title in 1931-32 and 1939-40.

The 1st Division was initiated after World War Two with KB winning three consecutive titles in 1947-48, 1948-49 and 1949-50. Per Jensen and Jørgen Ravn banged in the goals in the late 1950’s and the early part of the sixties at their Frederiksberg I P Opvisning home ground.

The league was won once again in 1967-68 before a solitary Landspokalturneringen, Danisg Cup triumph followed in 1968-69 with a 3-0 victory over BK Frem at Idrætsparken with Flemming Pedersen starring.

Preben Elkjær had a spell with KB in the 70’s after a fourteenth league win in 1973-74. A final title arrived in 1979-80 as Hans Aabech ended as top scorer, before Michael Laudrup had a two year spell at the club.

Boldklubben 1903

Boldklubben 1903 (B 1903) played at Gentofte Sportspark after being formed in 1903. Throughout their history they would be crowned as Danish champions on seven occasions. In the Landsfodboldturneringen years the club won the title in 1919-20, 1923-24 and 1925-26.

‘3'erne’ were Mesterskabsserien champions in 1937-38 with Knud Andersen ending as top scorer. A long period without trophies followed before the goals of Per Petersen cheered the home fans before another period of success arrived at the club.

Consecutive 1^st Division titles followed in 1968-69 and 1969-70 with Steen Rømer Larsen and then Ole Forsing topping the goal charts. The seventh league win came in 1975-76 before B 1903 won two Landspokalturneringen Danish Cups.

Both finals were held at Idrætsparken with Køge BK defeated 1-0 in 1978-79 before Ikast fS being overcome 2-1 in the final of 1985-86.

FC København

FC København (FCK) moved into the newly built Parken Stadium and were an instant success following the merger while Kjøbenhavns Boldklub continued as the teams’ reserve side. The top flight had been renamed the Danish Superliga with Benny Johansen leading FCK in their debut season.

His side lifted the title at the first attempt before the manager returned after short spell away to see København lift the Landspokalturneringen in 1994-95 with a 5-0 win against Akademisk Boldklub and then a 2-0 victory against Ikast fS in 1996-97 with Kim Brink in charge of the team.

Managerial spells of Kent Karlsson, Christian Andersen and a couple of caretaker periods under Brink followed before Roy Hodgson arrived in July 2000 to lead the side to the Superliga in 2000-01.

Karlsson returned for a second spell before being replaced by Niels-Christian Holmstrøm. The Swede Hans Backe was appointed in September 2001 in a move that brought success to Parken in his four year spell at the club.

The Superliga was won in 2000-01 and 2002-03 while the Cup was secured after a 1-0 win against Aalborg BK with Hjalte Bo Nørregaard playing a starring role in 2003-04 as Christian Lønstrup and then Peter Nielsen skippered the team.

Norwegian boss Ståle Solbakken took over from Backe in January 2006 to herald even greater triumphs to FCK leading his team to five Superliga championships in 2005-06, 2006-07, 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11. Thomas Augustinussen starred in the Danish Cup win against Aalborg BK thanks to a solitary William Kvist goal in 2008-09.

The domestic successes were not emulated in European competition. FCK failed to get past the group stages of the Champions League until the 2010-11 campaign when they went further than any Danish side in the past, reaching the Round of 16 before going out to Chelsea.

Other starring players in the Solbakken era included Tobias Linderoth, Brede Hangeland,  Zdeněk Pospěch, Jesper Grønkjær, Oscar Wendt, Michael Gravgaard, Ulrik Laursen and Hjalte Nørregaard.

Carsten V. Jensen took over team affairs in January 2012 after a spell under the reigns of Roland Nilsson. Jenson’s side won the Landspokalturneringen in 2011-12 as AC Horsens were beaten 1-0 thanks to a Claudemir goal and a starring role from Bryan Oviedo as Dame N'Doye starred throughout the season.

Ariël Jacobs took København to the Superliga title in 2012-13 with Andreas Cornelius ending as top league scorer. Solbakken returned to the club after the board sacked Jacobs in August 2013.

The team finished league runners-up for two consecutive seasons but had reasons to be cheerful in the Danish Cup with a 3-2 extra time win against FC Vestsjælland as Thomas Delaney starred in midfield alongside Christian Poulsen.

FCK went on to lift the league and cup double in 2015-16. The cup was secured with a 4-2 win against AGF Aarhus while the goals of Nicolai Jørgensen and Federico Santander were too much for the opposition in the league triumph.

The feat was repeated in 2016-17 as Mathias Jørgensen captained the team to the Superliga title that was won by twelve points. The Cup was lifted thanks to a 3-1 victory over arch rivals Brøndby IF with Stephan Andersen the man of the match.

FCK finished in a disappointing fourth position in 2017-18 despite the goals of Pieros Sotiriou and Santander. However, amends were made in 2018-19 as the club were crowned as league champions with Zeca as skipper with the strike partnership of Robert Skov and Dame N'Doye scoring the goals.

København were second in the table prior to the Championship Round when the COVID-19 pandemic halted proceedings.

FC København will play in the Danish Superliga in the 2020-21 season.

My visit

FC København 6 Odense Boldklub 1 (Sunday 10^th February 2019) Danish Superliga (att: 15,164)

I’d been keen to return to beautiful Copenhagen, as Danny Kaye called it, to complete visiting the top two in Danish football after a trip to experience the Brøndby IF v FC København in November 2015. A long weekend off work offered me the opportunity.

I’d travelled to Dorset to see an entertaining 3-3 draw between Wimborne Town and Hendon on the Saturday before taking an early night to be up bright and early to head to Finchley Road, where a coach took me to Luton Airport for my Ryan Air flight across the water.

I think that the flight was good, but I was oblivious to the world to be hones; waking as we landed. Leaving the airport took longer than it should as I got lost, missing the steps downstairs to the exit on a couple of occasions.

Not that I was too perturbed. The weather was grey and wet, though not too cold. There were no football fixtures of any note in the vicinity to fill in the afternoon. A visit to the horse trotting at Charlottenlund Travbane or visiting a few stadia in the hope of photos were options.

Instead I decided to kick back which is something of a rarity on one of my whistle-stop trips. I was going to visit a few bars and have a walk in between. Kick off at Telia Parken wasn’t until 6pm, five hours away, so I was going to have to take it steady if I was to remember the game.

Copenhagen, like many tourist destinations, can be as expensive or cheap as you want to make it. Sit in a bar/restaurant overlooking a sight and you pay top premium. Living like a local offers far better value and offers you a true insight of a city.

Obviously, I’d done a bit of pre-flight research and once again it was to pay dividends. I’d bought an inner City Pass for about a tenner to cover my travel for the day and alighted from the Metro at Christianshavn St. with the rain teeming down.

I’d received further help and advice before departure from replies to my post of the European Football Weekends group on Facebook. This page continued to be a great aid when travelling overseas, and I thank all who offered input.

To fill my hunger, I grabbed a small pizza for later and a frankfurter to eat on the go from a 7/11; again, saving me cash. My first port of call was the down to earth unpretentious and smoky Eiffel Bar, immediately put in a good mood by a sign on the day stating, “No Stupid People.”

A bottle of Tuborg cost me 18DKK, around £2. The place was rough and ready but fine for what I required. It must have been alright as I had a second bottle before braving the elements and going for a walk along the waterfront of the harbour and Nyhavn.

Despite the weather, there will still some fine photo opportunities. Some of the establishments along the side of Nyhavn were attractive, and I dare say I’d have given them a go if I was in a group, but I wanted a budget afternoon.

The Wall Street Pub had been recommended for cheap beer and showing of sports on the TVs. However, I committed the schoolboy error of not checking opening times. They were closed all day on a Sunday. Never mind, there should always be a Plan B.

Sheltering from the rain I checked down my list and Google Maps to find the nearest place to my location. I decided to walk ten minutes to Borgerkroen, which was in the direction of the stadium as well. It proved a wise choice.

It was a proper corner pub, with the option of the more opulent Black Swan opposite if I fancied some craft ale. The pint of Tuborg was decent, good value at 32DKK and definitely better than the stuff sold under the same name in the UK back in the 80’s.

It was a warm and friendly place with a mixed age group. The Danish Superliga match between AaB and Randers was being shown on the large TV projector screen before they switched to Spurs v Leicester City. Middle of the road music of the 70’s and 80’s was piped in the background.

Any thoughts of a wander were soon diminished. I was warm, my clothes were drying out and there was live football. Absolutely perfect. Some local lads arrived and sat around me ready to watch the next Superliga game between Nordsjælland and Brøndby.

That was the seal of a proper boozer to me. They turned over before the end of a foreign game despite its popularity to show the local stuff. Respect. Three steady pints later it was time to head towards my game if I wanted one last drink on route.

Again, Google Maps was my friend, as it indicated that I could catch the 1A bus from a stop a few minutes away by the stunning Frederiks Kirke. The service stopped to let people off but didn’t open the front doors because it was busy full of fans. This wouldn’t do!

I reasoned that if I walked further back towards its starting point, I’d have more chance of getting on the next one. The 1A pulled in at Amalienborg stop. If anything, it was busier than the previous one, but I was prepared. I jumped on half way up when a couple got off.

It was very cosy, but it wasn’t a very long journey. A local was chatting to me but I got by on smiles and nods, which seemed to satisfy him. Nearly everyone got off at Trianglen, the nearest stop to Parken. I walked back a few hundred yards for my pre-match pint.

Holstein - Bodega was another place that had been recommended. It wasn’t too busy but contained a down to earth crowd, good value Carlsberg and music more to my liking. The gent’s toilets had an amusing cartoon mural depicting an innocent Tin Tin finding more than he bargained for when in the bedroom with a companion.

It was a ten minute walk to the stadium, where the stewards gave a cursory pat down. I’d bought and printed my ticket online some weeks previously. It cost me 120DKK, around £14 for a seat upstairs down the side towards the goal line. The steps were steep and plentiful to my place.

Telia Parken, to give the national stadium it’s sponsored title, was an impressive arena that reminded me of a larger version of the GelreDome in Arnhem, aside from the roof being retractable rather than permanently closed. It was open for the match with rain still falling.

Three sides had steep two tiered stands with the fourth being a single level with offices and corporate facilities above. My only criticism, like Arnhem were because the corners were filled in with buildings you couldn’t see, but only hear, fans in the next stand if you sat near the end.

The stewards were chilled and the stand nowhere near full, so I moved to get a better angle once it was obvious everyone was in for kick off. The FCK ultras were in the lower tier behind the goal to my left, with the upstairs section closed.

OB’s travelling support from Odense were in a couple of blocks opposite in the only upstairs section opened. Fans made a decent enough noise, even if it was a little constant. I must admit I enjoy the peaks and troughs of spontaneous support but appreciated the ultras efforts.

FCK fans an anthem to the tune of ‘I Don’t Like Monday’s’ by the Boomtown Rats. The teams entered one after each other, which is something I’d not seen for some time, from the tunnel in the far corner.

There was a short period of applause was held before kick-off for a Danish referee who had recently lost his life to cancer, while home Ultras remained silence for the first minute to remember a fellow fan who had died in a car crash. Thanks, FCK fan Tim Lemmon for the info.

The hosts created a couple of opportunities in the opening stages before OB had a decent spell from the eighth minute onward. A decent move and defensive howler nearly led to them taking the lead on fourteen minutes.

København began to take the ascendancy and it was no surprise when they took the lead on twenty two minutes. The visitors defence failed to deal with a low cross in the box from the energetic Rasmus Falk. It fell to Nicolaj Thomsen who smashed home from eight yards.

Robert Skov played a pass to Peter Ankersen on the half hour mark who cut inside to beat his man and curl the ball beyond keeper Sten Grytebust into the far corner to make it 2-0. The noise was ramped up with fans behind either goal chanting FC Ko in turn to each other.

It was 3-0 on the stroke of half time as Skov scored a beautiful left footed free kick from outside the box. I initially thought that OB’s Janus Drachmann had been pushed over in the wall, when in fact he dived as Skov released to try and block any low shot. It didn’t work!

At the interval I had a stretch and good exercise up and down the steep steps of the top tier to get some extra photos albums and to get my legs moving. Normally I’m glad of a rest at the end of a day, but I’d done my fair share of pleasant lazing throughout the afternoon.

Seven minutes after the break striker Zeca went on a mazy run past a couple of defenders before overrunning the ball. Jacob Laursen tried to pass back to his goalie Grytebust but under hit it. A combination of Zeca’s bravery and determination and the keeper lacking those qualities led to the Greek sliding in to score.

At 4-0 the OB management and fans must have feared the worst. However, they kept going and got their reward after an hour. A corner from Julius Eskesen was flicked on by Jeppe Tverskov. Marco Lund nodded the ball back down at the back post for Ryan Johnson to volley home.

On both my visits to the city I’d been impressed by the place and most of all the calm and friendly people. But like most cities there was bound to be a few wrong uns. A small group in front of me were being in a pain in the arse, with one in particular a prize idiot.

Stewards get plenty of unfair stick. They carry out a thankless task for little money. One came up to tell the clown he couldn’t smoke in the stand and to moderate his behaviour. His reward? Ridicule and abuse. The poor lad was distraught. Some people eh?

For a short while after the goal OB pressed. Would another goal for them make it interesting? Skov put pay to any ideas along those lines when he scored an even better free kick past a flying Grytebust with twelve minutes remaining.

Midfielder and my man of the match Falk departed a couple of minutes later. His energy, skill, ball retention and always making himself available was top class. I thoroughly enjoyed his all action performance.

The board went up to show an additional four minutes stoppage time. I departed after one of them and heard huge cheers once outside, as I missed Skov completing his hat trick from the penalty spot. Not to worry. I’d enjoyed a good game and excellent home performance.

The idea of me making my exit was that I still wasn’t quite sure how I’d get back to the airport. Walking to Østerport station and then a couple of trains were one option. Then I saw the 1A bus approaching and there was not too big a waiting crowd. That would do for me.

It took me to Kongens Nytorv Metro station near to some of the sights I’d taken in earlier to catch a train direct. I’d ample time on arrival to grab some comfort food at Burger King and listen to commentary of the West Indies v England Test match.

The only downer on the day came when my flight was delayed for forty minutes. Again, I slept all the way before catching a train to Victoria and then a couple of night buses home. The poor drivers doing that job. Drunk French rugby fans, down and outs and those getting home after work.

I was a tired lad when I eventually got to bed at 3am after a bite to eat and didn’t leave the flat until nightshift later that day. It was worth every second and slight inconvenience.