If you are in Copenhagen, it is impossible to miss that the Danish national team supporters have a superior favorite rhyme. It begins with two vulgar names for the female genitalia and continues: “He flattered a wall!”
They sang it so many times in front of the big screens during the semi-final against England: that goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel is a wall.
They sang it in triumph when he made a save after 13 minutes, again after 37, in the 55th minute, after 63, 74, in the fifth minute of stoppage time, in overtime. He saved so much, and when England were penalized for overtime, in the 104th minute, he saved Harry Kane’s shot from eleven yards out as well. First. Then the Englishman returned, it was 2-1 to England, and Denmark was out of the European Championships.
Before anyone knows it all Henrik Lyngberg is standing outside Øksnehallen in central Copenhagen, like thousands of others, he has no ticket to the fenced area with a big screen. He only sees a small shard of the picture where the match is going, but it does nothing. He has the party around him.
He explains that that rhyme with the gender words is old, now the younger generation has picked it up.
– It is the young people who use those somewhat controversial rhymes. But we do not care about that, says Henrik Lyngberg and smiles.
– Henrik Lyngberg followed Denmark’s match among partying young people, which he was very pleased with.
Photo: Malena Johansson
Most of them here are young, many have student hats and have just graduated. The atmosphere is tumultuous, as at a music festival that everyone has been waiting for for a year and a half. It’s crowded, it’s long beer, it’s laughed and celebrated. No one here is thinking of a corona infection.
– You’ve been locked up for so long. So now you take the opportunity to party. I understand the young people. You are only young once, says Henrik Lyngberg.
He himself was 15 years old when Denmark shocked the whole of Europe and won European Championship gold in 1992. Now his daughter is 15 years old, and they have been to two European Championship matches at the Park together.
– At the last match, she said that “Denmark must not score more goals now, because I have no more cheers left to give”. When we came home, she said it was the best day of her life, says Henrik Lyngberg.
He has told his children that they should not expect Denmark to have a chance at the European Championship final again soon. It may take 20 years until next time.
– I told my daughter that I do not know if I enjoyed it enough that time. You should enjoy when it happens. Because it may not happen again.
– Henrik Lyngberg is happy after Denmark’s management goal.
Photo: Malena Johansson
That Denmark takes advantage of the fact that they will play the European Championship semi-final is clear already in the middle of the day in Copenhagen, with many hours left until the kick-off at nine o’clock. There are red and white shirts and flags everywhere.
At Kongens Nytorv, the air is filled with the pling from a lot of bicycle ring bells. Women in red shirts line up in a semicircle, and soon they line up in the same old football song that is heard everywhere in town: “We are red we are white. We stand together, side by side”. It has followed the national team since the 80s. But the women’s song is a protest.
– We run around in red shirts, so people confuse us with football fans, says Louise Mønster, after she really took her hand and greeted.
She leads the congregation in rhymes. They chant letters: “L, , FEMALE”. They are nurses, and they want a higher salary. “We are worth more”, is their slogan. Since 19 June, ten percent of Denmark’s nurses have been on strike, as they have not agreed on a new wage agreement. Twice they have said no to employers’ bids.
– Louise Mønster is one of the nurses on strike in Denmark.
Photo: Malena Johansson
The women in the square point out that it is a gender equality issue as well, male-dominated occupational categories get paid more, they say.
– It has been very much for us during the pandemic, and it has also meant that we have not felt valued either financially or in terms of work environment. Therefore, I believe that after many years of wage arrears, as it is in Sweden as well, the pandemic has been the last straw that has caused the cup to overflow, says Louise Mønster.
It’s four and a half hours left to kick off in the football match that everyone is waiting for in here in town, Louise Mønster as well.
– You are a nationalist. I do not follow football otherwise, but I follow when Denmark plays.
They are good to have, nurses, which everyone also became aware of at the beginning of Denmark’s European Championship trip. Chistian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest during the first match against Finland, the fear of the worst and how a whole world was waiting for the news that he survived and is feeling well, has characterized the tournament.
Henrik Lyngberg thinks about it today as well.
– I was actually affected for several days. It sounds strange, but I had a hard time working, because it made a big impression on me. Both what happened to him, and what happened to Denmark, he says.
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– picture 1 of 2 Photo: Malena Johansson
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– picture 2 of 2 Photo: Malena Johansson
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Henrik Lyngberg recalls that Denmark also missed its number ten in 1992, when Michael Laudrup boycotted the tournament.
– Now we also miss number ten, Chistian Eriksen. In a terrible way. But it is very Danish, I think, that we are best when no one expects anything from us.
What he means by what what happened to Denmark, it is “that we got up”.
Denmark lost the match against Finland, then they lost again against Belgium. They risked leaving already in the group stage, but in the third match, against Russia, they won 4-1. Henrik Lyngberg was at both the Belgium and Russia matches.
– I have never experienced the Park in that way. Belgium was a rebirth. And Russia was euphoric. It’s like an ugly duckling fairy tale. We did not believe ourselves that we would move on. I’m proud of everything the team is doing now. If they lose today, I’m proud of them. This is how I think everyone in Denmark feels.
When Mikkel Damsgård makes 1-0 for Denmark after half an hour, the crowd at Øksnehallen explodes with joy, and it starts to rain beer. That’s how they celebrate, the Danes, they throw up their beer cans and plastic glasses in the air. Jyllands-Posten has an article about it, the newspaper has asked a behavioral scientist what this is about.
– Denmark has been fined by Uefa for throwing beer during the European Football Championship.
Photo: Petter Arvidson / Bildbyrån
The Danish Football Association has received a hefty fine from Uefa for throwing beer at the Park when Denmark has played there during the European Championships.
The throwing of beer is a sign that we are becoming more uninhibited in our forms of expression, says senior lecturer Pelle Guldborg from Roskilde University.
– It’s about standing out regardless. When we see the beer mug being thrown around, it’s about unrestrained cheering. “See how crazy it is and how much I run crazy!” There should be no sensitivity. Do not put the lid on.
– The cheers from Kasper Schmeichel’s penalty save were turned into disappointment when Harry Kane set the rebound.
Photo: Malena Johansson
The referee blows the whistle.
– What the shit.
England, man, exclaims a girl.
Then people stream directly to the Central Station and various trains that will take them home. There will be no celebration at Rådhusplatsen tonight, there will be no charging for a final on Sunday. But no one can erase Denmark’s HC Andersen saga. Henrik Lyngberg’s words still apply:
– We are on our way out of the corona, we are doing well in the European Championships, Denmark is united, it’s a party. It’s a bit of a rebirth of the country.
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