The card version
- Fredrikstad saved many of his best players in the cup match against LSK because of a hectic match program.
- Kongsvinger also prioritizes the league over the cup due to financial considerations.
- Kongsvinger loses money in the cup compared to the league and hopes for promotion to the elite series.
- NRK Sports Manager Espen Olsen Langfeldt is concerned about the club’s cup priority and match starting times.
Reigning Norwegian champion Fredrikstad saved almost half of his supposed best stand from the start in the cup loss against LSK on Wednesday. FFK is a cuparistocrat with 12 cup titles – record with Rosenborg and Odd.
– We had a strong desire to move on. But we are in a very hectic match period now. Extra hectic for teams that get battles advanced due to European qualification. A close match program means that we naturally have to use our stable well, says Fredrikstad’s football manager Joacim Heier to VG.
For the summer, the club is going to qualify for the Europa League.
– This worries us, NRK’s sports editor Espen Olsen Langfeldt answers direct questions about the clubs’ prioritization of the cup.
The state channel sends the cup final in December, but Olsen is uncertain about NRK’s cup investment in the future. More from the sports manager later in the case.
In this century, Kongsvinger is best known for playing the cup final nine years ago. But now the kilometer does not prioritize the same way anymore.
From the Obosliga match against promotion rival Lillestrøm on Friday to the home game against Rosenborg on Tuesday, the team made four changes to the starting lineup.
It ended with a loss after extra rounds in the 4th round match at home at Gjemselund.
– We do not regret it, says general manager Espen Nystuen to VG.
He has both sporting and financial arguments.
– This is absolutely inevitable. It’s mostly about money, says Nystuen.
– First is participation in Europe. It gives the clubs in question so much money. They have to prioritize that. But the Norwegian cup can also save itself a bit. The cup winner gets the chance in Europe, says Nystuen and continues.
– Priority number two is the league. The media money is bigger there. For us in the OBOS league there is more money per day. Placement in the series game than it is in moving on in the NM. The difference is NOK 700,000 if we become number six or seven. While in the cup it starts at 45,000 kroner if we move in the 1st round. The sum doubles for each round, he explains.
Kongsvinger receives about NOK 360,000 after the cup loss for Rosenborg.
– A home game against Rosenborg, of course, also gives us extra revenue, but it still gives us less than a 6th place gives us compared to 7th place. For us it is also about the fact that we want to get up in the elite series. It will give us a lasting boost on the turnover, points out the long-time Kongsvinger leader.
– That difference is so big that we have prioritized the cup, at least the last four seasons, he says.
Kongsvinger has the previous years smoked out already in the 2nd round.
Espen Nystuen sees the irony in that Kongsvinger has never received as much Blest as when they eventually lost the Ullevaal final against RBK nine years ago.
– We want to be associated with something more than that. The year we went to the cup final, it resulted in weaker results in the series. We lost a potential promotion, he says.
Kongsvinger’s clear priority this week is not Rosenborg in the NM, but Saturday’s series match against Lyn.
Competition Director in NFF Nils Fisketjønn has been asked what he thinks about the clubs having the cup at the bottom of the priority list.
– The cup is still strong and is very important for Norwegian football. The value of winning an NM and thus starting in the playoff in the Europa League is also significant, and which can be of great importance to the clubs that do.
Fredrikstad won the cup last year for the first time since 2006.
Fredrikstad came from victory over KFUM on May 16, and meets Bryne on the away course three days after the cup loss against LSK. Then Rosenborg comes to Fredrikstad on May 28.
At Åråsen, FFK rested its preferred windshield with Oskar Öhlenschlæger, Sondre Sørløkk and Emil Holten from the start and had new wingbacker on both sides: Simen Rafn and Ludvig Begby replaced the King of Daniel Daniel Eid and the first choice Stian Stray Molde.
This is how the other elite series teams posed
Rosenborg (won 3–2 against Kongsvinger): Switched a total of seven players from the starting lineup against Haugesund 16 May. Clearly weakened from the top crew.
HamKam (knocked out of Aalesund): The injured captain Fredrik Sjølstad did not attend. Also made a change of midfield. Otherwise the same as in the series match May 16 against Vålerenga.
Viking (won 7–0 against Åsane): Switched at goalkeeper, saved midfielder Anders the berth and made a change in midfield. But stars like Joe Bell and Zlatko Tripic, as well as the design of Peter Christiansen, were all from the start.
Bryne (lost 0–2 for KFUM): Lot the first keeper rest, changed formation from 4–4–2 to 3–5–2 from the start and put the two fixed tips and right back on the bench. Otherwise as usual.
KFUM (won 2–0 against Bryne): Lot Obilor Okke start for the first time and did not use center stopper Njie from the start. Otherwise almost topped in 3–4–3.
Sarpsborg (won 3-1 against Egersund): Made five exchanges from the May 16 match against Brann, including Sondre Ørjasæter who went away with injury in Bergen. Among other things, first keeper N’Diaye and top scorer Daniel Karlsbakk were on the bench from the start.
Molde (lost 3–4 to Kristiansund): Made two switches from the May 16 match against the same opponent, but not far from putting topped crew in the cup. Stars like Veton Berisha, Magnus Wolff Eikrem and Mats Møller Dæhli from the start.
Kristiansund (won 4–3 against Molde): Switched three from the starting lineup against Molde on May 16, but also switched on the formation and played with an extra center stopper in the cup match. Saved Captain Dan Peter Ulvestad and the borrowed tip Ndour from the start. Both came in along the way.
– Could the cup have been put up another way?
– I am among those who have full understanding of Uefas guidelines. They make ties on many dates. It makes work on the schedule demanding for NFF As we have an alternating season for large parts of Europe, Joacim Heier replies.
But he is not happy with this year’s cup setup.
– It is special to have semi -finals in July and the cup final in December. It is one of the main reasons why the cup is being changed From next year. I think that is the best for Norwegian football, says the Fredrikstad boss.
NRK has purchased some NM matches of TV 2 and will broadcast the cup final in December. The state channel also has studio broadcasts from the cup rounds.
– As of now we do not know what we do next year, says sports manager Espen Olsen Langfeldt to VG.
He highlights the NM semi-final in 2023 as a horror example. Kjelsås-Molde was played at four in the afternoon one Wednesday.
– At that time, people are in transit. Either on the way out of or to work, says the sports manager.
– There is no lucky development that Norwegian matches, especially in the cup, are moved to unfavorable times. Now NM will be over in a new format where the elite series clubs are over the first two rounds. I think the Football Association shares many of the same many concerns as us about the development of the market, he says.
Fisketjønn in the NFF confirms that he shares some of the concerns of Olsen Langfeldt, but hopes that the “new cup” from 2026 will increase the value of the product.
– We are increasing the number of teams that are allowed to join and move four of the rounds this spring with a cup final early summer. Then the second part of the NM will be carried out during a period that is, experience, somewhat quieter for Norwegian teams, explains Fisketjønn by mail to VG.
On the other hand, he does not want to promise NRK better times for the cup matches.
– If NRK, with unfavorable time, thinks weekdays, it will probably continue even after a change. It is probably right in the big picture to give priority on the weekend to the elite series with 30 rounds and 240 games versus an NM with significantly fewer rounds. This year we have a transition year with an extra number of matches. This means that the matches will be pushed into a shorter time window, which makes it more difficult to distribute the matches between weekdays, he explains further.
The quarterfinals of the cup
Stabæk – Kristiansund
Rosenborg – Sarpsborg 08
Lillestrøm – KFUM
Aalesund – Viking
The quarterfinals will be played June 25.
#NRK #reacts #reserves #prioritize
