The Red Bulletin December 2019 (UK)

He talks about his favourite UK teams,
Liverpool and Manchester United, before
offering the parting prediction that
“[Greenlandic players] could come to
Europe and win games”.
The B-67 players warm up outside the
caged pitch as another match takes place,
then pile into the changing room – two
goalposts pushed together with a tarp
over the top – at the final whistle and
await the start of their game. “I like
football, but I only watch it during the
tournament,” says a fan in his early
twenties as the players line up. “Football
is really popular in Greenland right now,
and more support means maybe our teams
Players from the triumphant
N-48 rush onto the pitch to
celebrate becoming the 2019
Greenlandic football champions.
Left: ‘Fat Mbappé’, aka 16-yearold
Henning Bajare, in action
will get better and we’ll get a chance at
some international tournament.”
The semi-final match is not one B-67
will want to remember. Five minutes in,
their keeper parries a free kick, but in the
resulting scramble N-48 score the first
goal. Later in the first half, the goalie is
forced into action again, charging down
a shot from an N-48 player who has
stormed into the B-67 box.
In the second half, B-67 make a
triple substitution. A short while later,
Frederiksen comes off with his arm
bleeding, having opened up an old
wound. He bandages it and runs back
on. With less than 30 minutes to go, it’s
clear B-67 aren’t dictating the game.
A third N-48 goal in the 88th minute and
a fourth in injury time seal B-67’s fate.
For the first time in a decade, they have
failed to qualify for the final.
The next day, N-48 go on to beat G-44
in the final by the only goal of the match.
For their final game, B-67 play IT-79
in the play-off, but, disheartened by
yesterday’s defeat, suffer an ignoble 2-0
defeat. Frustrated or victorious, for
the Greenlandic players the season is
over for another year.
Back in Nuuk two days after the final,
Jensen invites The Red Bulletin to his
home overlooking the fjord, where
icebergs float against the broken-tooth
backdrop of the 1,210m Sermitsiaq
mountain. As he cooks up reindeer steaks
on his barbecue, Jensen offers a balanced
analysis of the team’s performance.
“These younger players are good, but it
will take two to three years to get them
to where we want to be, playing the final
and hopefully dominating outdoor
football again,” he says. “It takes time.”
For now, the hunting season has just
begun, and coach and players alike are
looking forward to getting out into the
wilderness. The futsal season will follow,
then training for outdoor football will
start up once again in the spring. While
this young B-67 team have suffered shortterm
disappointment, the standard of
play in the Grønlandsbanken Final 6
tournament suggests that Greenlandic
football could hold its own on the
international stage, and maybe even
equal Iceland’s success one day.
Patrik Frederiksen has seen his fair
share of victories and defeats. While
the younger players lament what must
feel like a stolen opportunity, he offers
a more optimistic approach. Losing that
tournament may sting, but ultimately
Greenlandic football has been the victor;
with more eyes on the sport, it just might
receive more funding, and maybe the
fabled covered pitches that would allow
them to play year-round and raise a team
to rival anything Europe has to offer.
“Football is in development in
Greenland,” Frederiksen says. “It connects
everybody. The audience appreciates it
and encourages us to do better. We want
to show that even though we’re a little
nation with so few inhabitants, we can
play football at a high level.”
Thanks to Visit Greenland for its help;
visitgreenland.com
THE RED BULLETIN 79