Believes Norwegian football should be changed – NRK Sport – Sports news, results and broadcast schedule
Bjørneby is a heavy voice in football and has a background as both development manager in the Norwegian Football Association and sports manager in Rosenborg, to name a few.
Today he is sports manager in the Danish top club Aarhus and has himself experienced how the Danish league model works in practice.
– Even more convinced
It is precisely Denmark that points out as a possible source of inspiration when NTF looks at the possibility of changing the league structure in Norway, as NRK was recently able to reveal.
– What I mean, I clearly meant even before I moved to Denmark. After experiencing how the playoffs work here, I end up more convinced that we must make decisions in Norwegian football about how we want it in terms of competitiveness, says Bjørnebye to NRK ..
He is therefore a supporter of the idea of introducing the playoffs in Norway as well.
The former national team defender will also reduce the number, although NTF believes that this is unrealistic in Norway now.
– Whether you want to be competitive and keep up, so you have to make decisions with that in mind. Then you have to stop with 16 teams and have tougher matching and more counting matches. You have to have more competition, he thinks.
Disagree with Drillo
Bjørnebye thus disagrees with his old boss on the national team. Former national team manager Egil «Drillo» Olsen (79) told NRK on Wednesday that the investigation into changing the league structure «is one of the dumbest things he has encountered».
On the contrary, Bjørnebye believes that the Danish league structure is more suitable for sporting development than the Norwegian one.
– In Denmark, there are 12 teams and playoffs, and all the matches have major consequences. Virtually all the matches are close, and there is little difference in which teams you meet, he believes.
– Can the Danish system work well in Norway as well?
– I see no restrictions. It’s about fighting more – that’s it, says Bjørnebye about how a 12-team series and playoffs will affect Norway.
– Not a topic
Here at home, there have been strong reactions in the supporter communities. So far, no supporter groups have gone out and supported a possible playoff system.
In Denmark, the current system has long been accepted and accepted.
– No one even talks about it. It is not a theme, says Bjørnebye.
This is how it works in Denmark
So how is the Danish system actually doing, which Norway might end up copying?
The Danish Super League today has just 12 teams, and after 22 rounds where everyone has met each other at home and away, divide the table in two:
The top six form as a so-called champion group and the six bad players in the relegation group. Each team retains points and goal difference from the initial game.
In both the champion group and the relegation group, all the teams meet each other at home and away once in a total of extra matches. Thus, all 12 teams in the Super League are guaranteed at least 32 matches a year.
The winner after the champion group becomes the league champion and secures a qualifying place for the Champions League, while the team that ends up in second place also gets a ticket to the Champions League qualifier. Third and fourth place will qualify for the Europa League and the League League, respectively.
In the relegation group, the two worst teams are relegated, while the winner of the relegation group is allowed to play qualifiers for the Europa League.
In this way, all the teams have something to play for her as well, even though there may be many points down to relegation.
National team manager Ståle Solbakken will not participate in the public debate about what is the best league structure here at home, despite the fact that he admits that he has opinions about it.
– The Norwegian clubs must decide for themselves. If they want my opinion, then it does not belong here now (at the press conference). I’ll tell you when that time comes. There are different variants of playoffs, and there is a large experience base among the different countries, says Solbakken to NRK.
– Not a political organ
Bjørnebye is aware that a change in the Norwegian league structure will take time. He believes Norway can learn from Danish when it comes to determination.
– We had a full-day seminar with top football in Denmark and DBU. I have been to many photo collections in Norway and I was used to it before I went on this one. But the Danes are more forward-thinking, and they are eager to make decisions. I experience that the process in Denmark is shorter to achieve the best possible development. In Norway, it is very democratic, everything has to go to consultation and everything has to go up to the federal parliament.
– What do you think about the fact that more supporter leaders in Norway are critical of a possible play-off?
– The supporters are not a political body in such decisions, and I think it sounds strange. The supporters want their own culture, and in other contexts they want to be independent. I do not know of any other nation sending pictures for consultation. I accept the democratic process and that there are many opinions there. My opinion is that Norwegian football should be more forward-looking. We must have it as competitive as possible.
Divided opinions in Norway
Back home in Norway, the news of a possible playoff system has been met with mixed reactions. Many supporter leaders have already strongly distanced themselves from a change, while top coaches such as Kjetil Knutsen and Erling Moe are positive.
The Molde coach believes the skeptics will be positive when they think more about what a playoff will entail.
– This is something that lies in the backbone of people, and which the audience is not so excited about, but for the end product which is football, I think I will win them over when they get a little more with it, says Moe.
Playoffs have already been introduced on the women’s side and will take effect from the 2022 season. In the new year, Norsk Toppfotball will present its position on what should happen on the men’s side.