– March, April and May were months without pay. We didn’t know when we got paid, we didn’t know if we got paid, and we didn’t know how much we got paid, says Kirvil Odden Sundsfjord to news. A year ago, he packed his bags with his wife and children and moved to Italy to become a football professional in Sampdoria. She was there for nine months, before she was forced to pack her bag again. The stay was completely different from what she had imagined. Sundsfjord brought the whole family to live the dream in Italy. Photo: Privat Sleit financially The first months went as expected. But after Christmas came word that the club was struggling financially. The players then had the opportunity to choose whether they wanted to stay or terminate the contract. The payment of wages stopped. – We had to see if it could work financially, because I wanted to complete the contract I had started, says the goalkeeper. Earlier this summer, Kirvil Odden Sundsfjord signed a new contract with Lyn. Photo: Benjamin Danielsen / news They were then forced to ask their family back home in Norway for help. Fortunately, the parents of both were more than willing to support them, and Sundfsjord therefore chose to stay at the club despite an uncertain future. Month after month, no salary came into the account. – We were told at the beginning of May that “it will come next week”. It never did. Whether it was to get us more excited about the match we had, I don’t know. So the information we received from the club was somewhat incomplete. If I had known that they were on the way to bankruptcy, I might have gone home. news has not received an answer to our inquiries to Sampdoria. The Sampdoria jersey is displayed proudly despite the circumstances. Photo: Benjamin Danielsen / news Taking matters into his own hands Sundsfjord took out a loan from his parents for several months. Although at times it was difficult to keep up the motivation, she never gave up completely. – It is clear that it will be difficult, you try to stay focused on what you are there for. That was the message from parents at home, to focus on football, and then the rest will take care of itself. But then the 31-year-old chose to take matters into his own hands. She was in a situation where she was already sitting a lot on the bench, and therefore could not be punished with less playing time than she already had. The son of five is mum’s biggest supporter. Photo: Private – I chose to go through it for myself. Because one was tired, and had to fight a little for one’s own right, she says to news. The rest of the player group continued to be passive, and Sundsfjord was, according to himself, the only one who tried to do something about the matter. She notified the club with a demand for payment of salary. Dagsavisen also wrote about the case. Was seen on the stands When nothing happened, she took it on to FIFRO. According to Sundsfjord, FIFRO were very helpful, and they put her in touch with the players’ organization in Italy. This is common practice for them, as national organizations know the various countries better. But the help stopped there. – Then I felt that things were a bit out of whack. Then I just had to wait and see if they managed to pay out the money before the deadline they had, says Sundsfjord, who finally got paid after three months. news has been in contact with the football association in Italy, which says the following about the situation: – In Italy, there is a control system that guarantees payment of the salary to the players. If the player had acted legally before the payment deadline, the judgment would extend the payment time. We understand that the player was paid by the club in the end. Sundsfjord says that she did everything in the right order, and informed the club’s manager on a daily basis before she took the matter to FIFRO. She was still seen in the stands. – Then I realized that now I have to suffer to try to fight my case. Kirvil Odden Sundsfjord thinks she will come home a better goalkeeper than before. Photo: Benjamin Danielsen / news A difficult time Fortunately, the goalkeeper never knew that the players were drawn frivolously. The team got a new coach in February, who gave the players a greater sense of professionalism. But the economic situation took a toll on the psyche, she admits. – You feel alone in a tough situation, in any case when you take that fact or try to fight for the rights you have. It eats away. Fortunately, I had my wife and son. But with only a month left in the season, the family managed to shift their focus. – The development I’ve had down there is really great. The dividend I got was very large when it came to football. Back at Lyn on 7 June, the players had finished the season this year. The contract for Sundsfjord lasted until the end of the month. But back home in Norway, she started training with Lyn to keep in shape. Lyn was the club’s goalkeeper from 2020 to 2022. Photo: Benjamin Danielsen / news After a while, she signed a new agreement with the old club. Although she was second goalkeeper in Italy, and got little playing time, Sundsfjord is clear about how grateful she is for the training and development the Italian club gave her. – The motivation is greater than ever. You are in better shape than you were before. Then it’s boring that you haven’t played as much as you’d like in Italy. But the motivation is at its best, concludes the goalkeeper.
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