On Thursday, Brann beat Scottish St. Mirren 3–1 at Brann Stadium. Even before the match, it was decided that the winner would face FC Astana from Kazakhstan in a playoff for a place in the series in the Series League. The away match will be played in the city of Almaty, in the far east of the country – just a few hours’ drive from the border with China. JUBILEE: Felix Horn Myhre scored for Brann in both the home and away games against Scottish St. Mirren. Photo: Paul Sigve Amundsen / NTB – Much different Brann goalkeeper Mathias Dyngeland was in Kazakhstan in 2016 when the U21 national team met them in European Championship qualification. It was an uneasy meeting with the nation. – After the last time, I said that it is not a place I want to travel to again. But now I’m going to do it, says the Bergen native, who made his debut in the A national team in November last year. Dyngeland says that meeting a new culture can be challenging. He points out that the food is different and that things may not be like what they are used to at home. The fire keeper tells Bergens Tidende that he experienced that there was smog like “a gray filter” over the whole city. – The most difficult thing is probably that it is a lot different and a lot new. It means trying to stay inside your own bubble and make preparations as you do at home. It won’t be as easy, says Dyngeland. On Friday, Dyngeland clarifies that the statement is about him as a private person, and that of course he has nothing against going there for work. Vladimir Smirnov was hailed as a hero when he won the five thousand during the Olympics in Lillehammer in 1994. The Kazakh won the hearts of Norwegians with his sympathetic style and when he lost the gold at the finish line to Bjørn Dæhlie during the WC in Falun in 1993. Photo: Paal Hansen / NTB scanpix “Smirre”: – Very modern city Former skier, Olympic gold winner and friend of Norway Vladimir Smirnov is from Kazakhstan, but now lives in Sweden. The hero from the Lillehammer Olympics has a different impression of his home country than Dyngeland. He believes the people of Bergen will enjoy the city and the country. – Almaty is a very modern city. The city has great architecture and lots of beautiful nature. The food culture is also very good, says the gold winner from the five thousand in 1994. According to “Smirre”, there is great interest in football in Kazakhstan. He believes there will be many people who will turn up when Brann comes to visit to secure advancement to the group stage in the Serieligaen (Conference League). Almaty seen from the city’s Great Mosque, with the Tien Shan mountains in the background. The picture was taken on 7 April this year. Photo: Pavel Mikheyev / Reuters Long flight FC Astana usually play in the capital Astana. But due to work at home, they now play the games in Almaty. The city is further southeast than Astana, and is about 30 miles west of China. The journey to Kazakhstan is long. If you take a direct flight from Frankfurt, it takes about 7 hours. A flight with a stopover from Bergen takes over 13 hours. But Brann has already made it clear that they will go to Almaty by chartered plane and thus travel directly from Flesland. Between Bergen and Almaty there are approximately 5,000 km as the crow flies. Almaty is about 30 miles away from the border with China. I think the heat can affect the fire. Smirnov is not worried on behalf of the people of Bergen when it comes to the length of the journey. – You travel across half the globe. But I have traveled that stretch many times, there is no problem at all, he says. The time difference between Bergen and Kazakhstan is four hours. The biggest challenge will not be the time difference, but the weather, believes Smirnov. He warns that it is over 30 degrees during the day in Kazakhstan at this time of year. – It can have a very negative effect, you become extra tired and tired. Players must try to stay out of the sun as much as possible. It is important to eat and drink more than usual, he says. Former Brann captain Sivert Heltne Nilsen was refused entry to Kazakhstan when Hødd was due to face FC Aktobe in the European Cup in 2013. Photo: Thomas Andersen / NTB Heltne Nilsen was refused a visa Not only Mathias Dyngeland has had a tough encounter with Kazakhstan. Former Brann captain Sivert Heltne Nilsen and then-teammate Akim Latifu experienced not being able to get a visa to the country when cup champion Hødd was to meet Kazakh FC Aktobe away in 2013. Brann hardly needs to worry about this now, as you no longer need a visa in Kazakhstan on journeys up to 30 days. The then Hødd coach, Lars Arne Nilsen, got into trouble after a Borat comment in 2013. Read about it here: Published 16.08.2024, at 19.14
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– Not a place I want to travel to again – news Vestland
