Every weekend, Norwegian football players are waiting for away teams that never come. A survey news has done shows that 97 matches in adult football were won on walkover in the 2019 season. 2019 was the last “normal” season before the pandemic. So far this year, the 6th division team Masfjord FL has had to cancel two home games in the series. Three when one pluses at the KM Cup. In all cases, city teams from Bergen have dropped driving two hours north to play a match. But the outermost team Masfjord FL is not content to win that way. They want to play football. – We have to drive the same distance to get to them. And we drive, says playing coach, Sindre Tangedal stated. It was the local newspaper Strilen that first wrote about the case. DRAWER: Playing coach for Masfjord FL, Sindre Tangedal, can not understand why bylag does not take the trip to the outskirts. Photo: Ole Kristian Svalheim / news Tala news has looked at are the divisions from the 2nd division for women and from the 3rd division for men. Alf Hansen is head of grassroots football in the Norwegian Football Association. He is not surprised that outlying teams have a higher tolerance for long away trips than the city team has. – Many refuse to drive two, three or five hours to play away games, he says. Big costs for not playing For the women’s team Hallingdal 2 in the 4th division, it happened three times in 2019 that the opponents did not show up. Also in their case, it was the “city team” that did not take the long trip to the away game. The rice behind the mirror is fine. In addition to the fine they must pay to the football club, those who cancel must pay the costs of travel to the return settlement for the team they canceled against. DISTANCE: It is as far to the match in Bergen for Masfjord FL as it is to the match against Masfjord FL for a team from Bergen. Photo: Screenshot Google Maps The circle where all teams met for a match In practice, this means that opponents who do not show up for a match against Masfjord FL must pay a fine of 5,000 kroner. Plus travel costs for fuel and ferry. But it will only be trifles against what the team in Nordland has to go out with. There is a fine of 12,000 kroner. Furthermore, the travel costs for a 4-5 can. division teams for an away match will cost up to 80,000 kroner. Then it is no wonder that teams down in the 4th division well travel 350 kilometers to get to and from away games. – Welcome to Nordland, there are long distances here, says leader of Nordland NFF, Øyvind Stenberg Lien Iversen. In their circle, there were no matches in 2019 that were won on the walkover. Illness and injuries to the opponent The first league match Masfjord FL was to play this year was against Fana 3. But three hours before the start of the match, the text message came that the Bergen club had to cancel. Coach for Fana 3, Magnus Thorsen, told of the reason why they could not stand was a combination of injuries, illness and that several of the players had to work on the match day. – But I can not answer what every single player thinks about having to travel far in an away game, says Thorsen. For Sindre Tangedal in Masfjord FL, it is a principle that his team competes. – It is only the 6th division, but when the team is registered, you have to show up.
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