Denmark and England have hit a lot of rivalry this summer.
First there was Brexit and various fish disputes, then football – and yes, before you ask, the British continued to demand a gold in diving – and then ‘that cycling incident’ at the Olympics.
Sure, we’re talking about a shock with the British team, but most Danes seem pretty ignorant that there is anything other than England across the North Sea, so this is more of the same!
When Frederick Madsen walked away — moments after screaming at the British cyclist who had just plowed his back, which brought the semi-final in the 4,000-meter pursuit to an abrupt end — he was heard shouting: “Fuck them! ”
The question is whether Madsen spoke about the men’s persecution team or because of the nature of the fallout from Denmark’s elimination from Euro 2020, an entire nation.
Owe the keeper!
Kasper Schmeichel is, of course, to blame for all this, as everything had been just dandy until he began to question the chorus of the song ‘Three Lions’, which (more than once) claims that “football comes home”.
“Has it ever been home? I mean, have you ever won it? Said the Leicester City goalkeeper at a press conference ahead of the quarter-finals. Their father had spoken, and the homogeneous nation, which is Denmark, spoke as one.
Adam Wells, a fan of England in Copenhagen, found out about this moment after cheering Denmark on in their victory over the Czechs — a warm-up of his lungs ahead of his side’s showdown against Ukraine.
“We started singing ‘Three Lions’ after Denmark beat the Czechs, and some Danes shouted: ‘No, it’s not fucking coming home’,” he recalled.
Changes from ‘We are red, we are white’.
History lessons
Other English fans also noticed a very changed mood ahead of the semi.
“It was awful at work,” complained Jim Goodley, a carpenter from Gentofte.
“Every day I receive something new. Pictures of Vikings: ‘Remember the last time we invaded’. Or captions like ‘Three football powers … but never underestimate England’. ”
It certainly did not help that the British government did not allow Danish fans to participate – a decision that CPH POST described as “the biggest insult to this country since the British navy bombed Copenhagen in 1807 [which] some observers may even go so far as to say that it is cheating ”.
Quoted by the Daily Mail, the flames were lit in the media!
Quickly turned ugly
Still, it was most humorous. English and Danish tabloid newspapers The Sun and BT exchanged ads in their editions on the day of the big game.
BT’s ad in The Sun was an illustration of seven Vikings with the caption: “It’s not coming home … We’re coming home!” While The Sun’s ad in BT showed a bacon sandwich with the caption “We will eat you to breakfast”.
But when England eventually won 2-1 in extra time thanks to a controversial penalty, the Danish public became further disgusted by the confirmation that a laser pen shone dangerously on Schmeichel’s face as he faced the penalty and that British Danish families were threatened and spat by hooligans as they returned to their homes.
Judging by all the burning articles in the national media and often toxic comments across social media, there was no doubt about who Denmark wanted to win in the final against Italy.
Italians in the north
Places like Ofelia Plads in Copenhagen therefore drowned in Danes with sporty Italian colors, and true to their custom, they ended up throwing more beer to the attending English fans than they actually drank.
To be fair, it was largely absorbed without incident by a nation that has become accustomed to drinking rain and unknowingly dared to dream that they could end the victory in the evening.
But another penalty kick competition later ensured that the Danes present had the last word when they mocked the crushed English fans who left the place.
They had a Dane on their side.
“My daughter will not admit that she is English, my son is the same about being Danish. My wife just hopes that England wins because she can not stand the thought of how miserable we become, ”Goodley remarked ahead of the semi-final.
The disgraceful Danes!
And then, after the bike incident, it was more of the same. After all, with his head bowed, Madsen did not even look where he was going, so why should he blame the Briton?
Commentators on the BBC’s website were outraged and called Madsen’s behavior both “scandalous” and “shameful”, perhaps hoping that their vitriol could somehow help the disqualification of the Danish team.
“Shameful behavior from Denmark who shouted at Team GB – it was their fault!” said one. “His insurance company does not pay this claim; the Dane was just not paying attention, ”chuckled another.
“As a leading rider on the team, always keep an eye on the team you are pursuing. It’s called persecution for good reason, “added former Olympic champion Chris Hoy.
Source: The Nordic Page
