opinions
Arne O. Holm comment:
Bodø/Glimt, The Football Team Shattering the Myths About The Arctic
Commentary: Like a whirlwind, the Arctic returned to the Champions League. For the second year running. Now, they are hoping to face Barcelona or Real Madrid as early as the group stage. For Bodø/Glimt, it seems anything is possible.
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This is a comment written by a member of the editorial staff. All views expressed are the writer's own.
We are still talking about a team north of the Arctic Circle which, largely on its own, has in a short time climbed from the lower divisions in Norway to Europe’s top division.
We could hardly believe our eyes when Bodø/Glimt crushed the top Austrian top team SK Sturm Graz 6–2 in the Champions League qualifying round.
The adventure is not over
We rubbed those same eyes in disbelief when the team won 3–1 against Manchester City, while tears flowed when Atlético Madrid were swept aside 2–1.
In the knockout round play-offs, Inter Milan were eliminated after losing 5–2. Their journey finally came to an end in the Round of 16, even though Bodø/Glimt had led 3–0 after the home leg.
But all this is history, and the adventure is not over.
Now they dream of Barcelona
Tuesday night, they opened the door to another round of the Champions League following big wins in the qualifiers—a 6–5 victory over Belgium’s Union Saint-Gilloise. That night brought final confirmation that the team from Bodø is one of Europe’s best football teams: a 6–1 win over the Dutch rising stars NEC Nijmegen.
The myths about the Arctic
The team from the north handles top international players who barely realize there is life in the Arctic—players who perhaps believe the myths about wasteland and destitution. NEC, failing to grasp that they needed to focus on the task at hand, began the match by complaining about the dressing rooms.
They would find even more to complain about. Throughout the match, Glimt played such elegant football that, at times, I felt like I was watching an episode of the popular TV show Dancing with the Stars. The rhythm of attack after attack was simply beautiful.
And the players—mostly within the opponent's penalty area—found their teammates almost every single time.
The ball whizzed back and forth between the legs of outplayed Dutchmen. The Arctic team played pinball with a precision we rarely see on European pitches.
Except when Bodø/Glimt are at their best.
Unique storytelling
This unique football team presents an image of the High North that is largely absent from the narrative about development in this part of the globe. A success story showing that even the impossible is possible. The team has mastered both logistics and expertise, for example.
Terms that are otherwise usually labels for some of what is lacking in the North.
It gives us all permission to dream.
But the salary levels at the football club will remain a dream.
Because it is not only the goals that keep coming. The club coffers are also being filled. And unlike much of the business sector in the North, the money remains in the North.
That alone.
