Futsal and lower-league players called up by Denmark amid sponsorship row

Denmark have named a squad made up entirely of futsal and uncapped lower-league players for Wednesday’s friendly with Slovakia due to a dispute between the Danish Football Association (DBU) and their senior players.

The team’s plans for Wednesday’s game and their UEFA Nations League opener against Wales on Sunday have been thrown into disarray by the row, which was sparked by a disagreement regarding commercial sponsorship.

Spillerforeningen, the footballers’ union of Denmark, made an offer to the DBU which would have seen the players feature in the two scheduled matches as normal under a temporary extension of their previous sponsorship deal, but the Danish authorities are said to have rejected it.

The DBU then confirmed early on Tuesday that coach Age Hareide had been temporarily replaced by former international John Jensen, as an unspecified squad of 24 players travelled to Slovakia to play the match and avoid UEFA sanctions.

That selection has now been confirmed, and reports of futsal players being called up proved to be correct, with four representatives of Jaegersborg Boldklub making the trip.

Truppen til onsdagens venskabskamp mod Slovakiet: https://t.co/qymvO6YFxU

— Dansk Boldspil-Union (@DBUfodbold) September 4, 2018

TPI and Vanlose are the other best represented clubs, with each side also having four players named in the squad.

Denmark could yet name a different – and more experienced – squad for Sunday’s match against Wales.

Denmark squad in full:

Morten Bank (Avarta), Christoffer Haagh (Jaegersborg Boldklub),Christian Bannis (TPI); Mads Priisholm Bertelsen (TPI), Victor Hansen (Frederikssund), Nicolai Johansen (Vanlose), Daniel Nielsen (Vanlose), Christian Bommelund Christensen (Jaegersborg Boldklub), Kasper Skraep (TPI); Simon Vollesen (Birkerod), Rasmus Gaudin (Vanlose), Adam Fogt (Kastrup), Oskar Hojbye (Vanlose), Anders Hunsballe (Greve), Christopher Jakobsen (Hillerod), Kevin Jorgensen (Jaegersborg Boldklub), Rasmus Johanson (HIK), Louis Veis (Jaegersborg Boldklub), Kasper Kempel (Skovshoved); Anders Fonss (TPI), Troels Cillius Nielsen (Birkerod),Christian Offenberg (Avarta), Daniel Holm Sorensen (Skovshoved).