Supporters of FC Midtjylland and Brøndby stopped organised vocal support for the opening 15 minutes of their Superliga match in a joint protest against Monday-night football.
The rival fan groups were making the same complaint.
This was the fifth consecutive Superliga round in which the Monday fixture required supporters to travel between Jutland and Zealand.
For Brøndby fans travelling to Herning, the organised supporters’ coach was scheduled to leave at 11am on Monday and return at approximately 2am on Tuesday.
Midtjylland supporters joined the protest in solidarity.
The boycott went ahead, with local coverage describing an unusually quiet opening to the match.
There was one slight problem with the plan.
Midtjylland scored after 42 seconds.
The Danish protest reflects a much wider conflict in modern football.
Broadcasters want matches distributed across more days and times because each additional television window has commercial value.
Travelling supporters experience the other side of that flexibility.
Monday-night fixtures can mean taking time away from work or study, travelling hundreds of miles and arriving home in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The supporters are not demanding that every match kick off at 3pm on Saturday.
They are asking whether the people actually travelling to games still have meaningful weight when fixtures are scheduled.
Five consecutive Monday fixtures have sent Danish supporters between Jutland and Zealand.
Eventually rival fans decided they had something in common.
TV gets the convenient schedule.
Fans get home at 2am.
Sources
- Flashscore – Midtjylland and Brøndby supporters plan joint protest
- Campo – Supporter boycott takes place during Midtjylland-Brøndby
- Brøndby Support – Organised travel to FC Midtjylland
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