The Remarkable Rise & Fall Of Icelandic Football

In just four years, Iceland went from being one of the worst national teams in Europe to knocking England out of Euro 2016 and qualifying for the FIFA World Cup, rising to 18th in the FIFA World Rankings.
However, in roughly the same amount of time, Iceland not only gave up all of those gains on the pitch, but lost all of the respect and adoration that they had gained from the Icelandic people off it.
In this documentary, HITC Sevens takes a look at how that happened, the scandal that has rocked football in Iceland, and misogyny in soccer more broadly.

[@ocajrsocajrs9010]

A rise and fall video could also be made about the Australian national team. In 2006 a team with Schwarzer, Viduka, Aloisi, Kewell and Tim Cahill made it to the world cup round of 16, giving Italy a great game and only losing from a 95th minute penalty. Poor management, lack of talent coming through and a declining quality of the domestic league have caused a massive decline since then. Today Australia are unlikely to be going to Qatar, humiliating defeats to Japan and Saudi Arabia in qualifying with players in the 3rd tier of German football being capped

[@JSG003]

3. Liga is probably way superior to the A league, so I don’t see a problem with that

[@howgoodistravel]

They've made every world cup since 2006, and when there's 4.5 spots in Asia which includes Saudi Arabia, Iran, Japan and South Korea then it's hardly newsworthy that they miss the World Cup. Hell, they're still in with a chance if they beat the UAE in the 5th place playoff, and yes losing out to a South American team seems more likely but there's no shame in that either. You're acting like Australian football from 2006 is the norm and not the exception.

[@chombus2602]

@@JSG003 the comparison must be Premier League (Viduka, Kewell, Cahill, Schwarzer...) vs 3 Liga, not A League vs 3 Liga

[@JSG003]

@@chombus2602 Großkreuz > all just mentioned Won World Cup and then played in 3rd league

[@ocajrsocajrs9010]

@@howgoodistravel I understand what your saying but need to have been following Australian football for the last decade to understand how desolate and hopeless the team is at the moment, and how it looks like it's only going to get worse from here. We came off a golden generation in 2006 and while Australia has been unremarkable through the 2010's there was still some stability, quality players qualifying for the WC. There are currenly 2, yes 2 Australian footballers in the first team squad of a team in europes top 5 leagues. I don't see us putting in a challenge to qualify for 2026 either

[@surfersir3388]

Another day, another brilliant video from Alfie! Knew absolutely nothing about this bar the Sigurdsson scandal which as you mentioned speaks volumes on the media's attitude to it.

[@lukemiller_6]

Ikr! Really shocked by the lack of reporting on these

[@lukemiller_6]

@TheMythicCat I'd hope they could at least refer to 'Icelandic national player'. But I'm not totally sure of the rules so you might be absolutely right.

[@samprizeman4509]

He doesn’t make daily videos

[@abstraqtphilosophy7357]

@@lukemiller_6 what happened to innocent till proven guilty? You want a lot more reporting so that the court of public opinion would crucify him before the facts came out, isn't it?

[@lukemiller_6]

@@abstraqtphilosophy7357 sounds like someone arguing for the sake of arguing. Obviously it would be case by case but as a GENERALISATION, more reporting would encourage victims to come forward

[@seandelap6268]

Iceland eliminating England from the Euros was among the biggest shocks in football history especially when you compare the disparity between the 2 countries.

[@azura4866]

the worst england team since the war losing to a team that won their group containing portugal isn't a much of a shocker footballing wise.

[@JonasRodgers]

@@azura4866 dude, are you joking? ENGLAND losing to ICELAND wasn’t a shock? delusional… and they didn’t even win the group, not that it matters, because it’s fucking icleand

[@Crackparty803]

yeah no shit

[@rohithraman6488]

@@azura4866 England losing to tournament debutants Iceland is definitely a shock. Nobody expected it

[@babarazamsucks]

I remember watching this entire tournament including this very knockout match from start to finish. To this day, hearing everything about this reminds me of one of the biggest upsets in another sport I follow and yeah I know it doesn’t have to do with soccer but whatever. That being Pakistan vs. Ireland in the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup with none other than Ireland as tournament debutants in which we ended up getting knocked out by them but in the group stage with the World Cup just starting under a format that has been used only once that being that very World Cup after the eliminations of Asian super heavyweights, Pakistan and India.

[@lukemiller_6]

Previously had no idea of some of these allegations. Glad you're spreading awareness of these issues within football and society in general

[@LuigiLuigi728]

I only knew about the Gylfi Sigurdsson case, didn't know there were so many other Icelandic players who did such horrible stuff...

[@lukemiller_6]

@@LuigiLuigi728 ikr, it's shocking 🙁

[@kareliask]

Same, hope the cleanup has succeeded and they can rebuild the culture.

[@ulfurkarlsson5885]

Some of it was never proven. Innocent until proven Guilty .....

[@lukemiller_6]

@@ulfurkarlsson5885 proven*

[@Simmi0013]

As an Icelander i am so amazed by the quality of this video, absolute bigups to you Alfie, absolutely awesome to see influencers outside of Iceland pick this up and shine a light on it!

[@ketilljohnsonn9735]

Yea I was very surprised

[@brianmunich553]

He isn't an influencer he is a football writer or say columnist journalist whatever, the term influencer is bit harsh for this guy but then again that's just me Absolute big ups lol

[@maciejbala477]

"influencer" does sound like a derogatory term nowadays. Alfie is better described as a journalist in my mind. But awesome he caught that up, I would have never known otherwise. What a harrowing story.

[@jakekraweckyj2801]

Honestly one of your best yet. Really insightful, and handles an incredibly difficult subject with all the gravity it deserves. Excellent job.

[@SinnohGreen]

Big up to Hanna Björg for investigating when everyone else had left the case cold. We need people exposing corruption in this world

[@bury_the_elite65294]

This. Here in Australia (less than 72 hours before a Federal election) we have only a handful of REAL journalists exposing the corruption of the rich & powerful in this country. Because our mainstream media (75% of which is controlled by the terrorist Rupert The American) doesn't have the balls to do it. Our (extremely conservative) Federal govt is fighting hard against the establishment of an anti-corruption body at a Federal level (which the Australian Labor Party says they will establish if elected). Gee, I wonder why?

[@abstraqtphilosophy7357]

She is no hero

[@SinnohGreen]

@@abstraqtphilosophy7357 Care to expand on that?

[@abstraqtphilosophy7357]

@@SinnohGreen you think this Iceland thing is just an isolated matter? Give all the empowerment to feminists, metoo and lgbt, and let them take over Western civilization. You think China and Russia will live happily ever after with a weakened Europe or America? You think the middle East will sing and dance and live in peace with a weak EU? Destroy yourselves and other powers will do the rest

[@freedomisslavery6840]

@@SinnohGreen Another woman tearing down masculinity and men. Yeah, what a hero.

[@Hasorane]

Some things to add as an Icelander: For as long as I can remember there has been an understanding among most adults in the country that pro footballers have severe cultural issues within their inner circles, similar to England's traditional player/staff drinking culture. The most common thing to hear was that a lot of these pro players are a bit "messed up in the head" or something similarly vague. Many dismissed it as rumors but the truth is hard to hide within such a small population, and anyone framing this as a recent development or an unfortunate string of "bad apple" incidents is sadly mistaken. One of our most celebrated star players has a drinking/gambling problem that has been public knowledge disguised as a rumor for years now, and it's not an isolated example. I just hope that these recent events will change the footballing culture for the next generation of Icelandic players cause we have some very bright players coming through.

[@JeanClaudeCOCO]

Hopefully y’all can give them a chance. The new players who had nothing to do with this. But it will take time for this present generation and others who come after to change the culture and win over the public again.

[@xavier1752]

This still isn’t the majority of the squad. Pretty unfair to paint the entire older team with the same brush

[@yannick245]

Eiður Guðjohnsen?

[@arnigubjartsson7778]

@@yannick245 Correct

[@NobletheSavage]

As an Everton fan, I'm very interested to see how Alfie refers to " he who shall not be named"

[@NobletheSavage]

Wow, he named him! Absolutely heartbreaking end to this video. Thanks for this Alfie. I had no idea that this kind of disgusting abuse was happening in a country I have always held high regard for.

[@hypix1017]

​​@Faggerino He was being sarcastic

[@logiic8835]

@@NobletheSavage it happens everywhere. U live under a rock?

[@arnor2709]

He has been named in Icelandic media

[@DJMavis]

@@NobletheSavage wisely he said that an Icelandic paper named him. So he's referring to the information in the public sphere, rather than naming him personally. Clever lad.

[@viktorhelgason8641]

As an Icelander, I want to say takk fyrir (thank you) for this documentary. It is incredibly sad and frustrating to see because these players were heroes in our eyes and then this happens. I’m sorry this is what we’re seen as now

[@stevedimmock930]

Definitely Viktor, it is so sad when you find that some of your greatest memories in football potentially have been tainted by what the people that made them went on to do. It's not much though compared to what the victims of abuse have had to go though. I have similar feelings about my team's (Crawley Town) greatest ever result (3-0 win v Leeds in FA Cup) because of allegations revealed a few weeks ago that some players had been racially abused in horrific ways by the manager John Yems at the club, which has really tainted the good moments of the last two and a half years I have had supporting the team.

[@walkingwayne444ukr6]

Nobody sees you that way, you are not your players

[@yannick245]

You can clearly see Icelandic is an Germanic language.

[@walkingwayne444ukr6]

@@yannick245 and germanic language was influenced by viking languages. All germanic tribes until the 10/11th century were botches to the vikings 😀

[@albertmiller2electricbooga897]

I hope this doesn't get demonetised, you obvs worked so hard on this and worked really well

[@Brabour]

Thanks for bringing this story into the wider world, Alfie.

[@JeanClaudeCOCO]

It didn’t cross my mind why Iceland fell off. I remember watching their World Cup qualifier against Germany and thinking they look pretty bad. I thought it was just the end of their golden generation but to have such a fall off like that and now with this video explanation it comes full circle. It’s like a rag to riches story. When the couple who’ve been together for 30 years win the lottery and then their lives change in an instant only to find out later they hate each other and the money is gone.

[@dagursverrisson7822]

As an icelander i can tell you that you did a great job covering the situation. Even i found it quite informative and i was reading all about it at the time.

[@motorlover2126]

I've been watching your vids since 2018, the growth has been remarkable and as always I love the content, keep at it mate

[@zerofox641]

Great video as always Alfie. Massive credit to the women who came forward. Without them these stories would have remained unknown. This isn’t cancel culture, it’s criminal behavior. This is a group of men abusing their positions of power and assaulting women. Absolutely disgusting. It isn’t difficult, if someone doesn’t want to be touched don’t touch them. Why can’t people respect the most basic of rules?

[@adampark4238]

yet no criminal convictions

[@tankie9997]

Prosecuting people for crimes isn't cancel culture, but losing an unrelated job is. Especially based on allegations, and not convictions.

[@bury_the_elite65294]

@@tankie9997 Grace Tame (Australian of the Year in 2021) would like a word with you. Someone being bullied, harassed, fired or otherwise punished because they dared to speak the truth - like Grace Tame did - THAT is cancel culture.

[@adampark4238]

@@tankie9997 have to ask you get tankie because you are one mate. I'm a track guy that's why I'm asking

[@adampark4238]

@@bury_the_elite65294 oh pisse pisshose. Sie versuchen, jemanden zu behaupten, der als Opfer der Abbruchkultur den Australier des Jahres gewonnen hat. was ist das für ein rückständiges Denken? .

[@CalvinLangatMMA]

What a fall from grace. Gladly most of the perpetrators lost their spots but that isn’t enough and will not heal the trauma the women went through. Great video as always Alfie

[@justsomekirbowithoutamusta1852]

@Gisli Brynjolfsson The players in question had to leave the national team as well as their club, would be weird if they were innocent. Also, they didn't claim the story to be untrue and didn't sue the women for defamation and false allegation and there has to be a reason why

[@gian3008]

@@justsomekirbowithoutamusta1852 👆

[@justsomekirbowithoutamusta1852]

@Gisli Brynjolfsson Mate this ain't no "woman going nuts to get that sweet clout", also, clubs defend their players all the time, often until they have or haven't been charged with a crime. But this case is way different. Imagine fucking up to the point where a company puts moral over money

[@apjsard1]

This is a remarkably well articulated video on a difficult subject. Really important to talk about these issues!

[@ElynTheCute]

This is a painful video to watch for some one from Iceland like myself. However, I don't feel as if all hope is lost yet. We have a LOT of good young players, who are excellent in other Nordic divisions, so I feel there is still hope

[@exsandgrounder]

I'm sure if Iceland maintain the infrastructure they put in place to churn out those players from six years ago, they'll improve and start to at least challenge for tournament qualification.

[@royalbluegooner3921]

That‘s great to hear.I hope you guys will give the new executives and the new crop of players a chance since the people involved are apparently all out of the picture now.Some talented players playing in foreign leagues ( Johanesson for example ).Also as a supporter of Schalke and Arsenal i would appreciate reading your opinion on Victor Palson and Runarson as well as their performances for your country with both of them being pretty unimpressive at Arsenal and Schalke respectively.I wish you a good day.

[@XxXMasterSingerXxX]

@@royalbluegooner3921 Has Palson been unimpressive at Schalke? I thought he was doing well there since he is their captain and they just got promoted

[@royalbluegooner3921]

@@XxXMasterSingerXxX He‘s been our vice captain temporarily.There are however some problems. 1. He was signed under our previous headcoach ( Dimitrios Grammozis )as they had worked together before at Darmstadt.Said coach had us playing a very defensive type of football which he was a good fit for. 2. He is pretty limited as a player and probably doesn‘t possess the quality to thrive in the Bundesliga.

[@mitchellima4736]

Honestly one of the best videos of anything I have ever watch. Phenomenal job sharing a story that needs to be shared

[@PrimeZonSteam]

Loving the mentions of the Faroe islands lately. Hopefully we can achieve something like Iceland did, in the future to come !

[@sportifymedia]

Remmeber when they beat Greece? TWICE!

[@mineturdle6518]

I’m hoping Faroe island can stay in nations league C

[@KDFilms99]

Such an amazing and tragic story. Thank you HITC for this and your consistent high level of journalism. I really appreciate your honest appraisals of these really, really important topics.

[@twhiteofrd_1102]

Thank you for shedding more light on this horrific situation

[@mrsd8401]

This is incredible. I can't believe I didn't know about this previously. Top work, Alfie x

[@denalus]

You're doing great work here, Alfie. Thank you for bringing light to an issue that so desperately needs more attention.

[@siler22]

Massive respect on this video Alfie ,your videos should be example how much you gotta personally care what type of videos you make and how you approach serious matter, football is becoming second thing in your videos when there is way more important topic

[@germankid866]

what a video. you never cease to amaze me on how you connect football to world issues. it's not pandering or grandstanding, but a journalistic approach to topics that are not openly discussed in football or the general public. connecting them brings in so many more people that are now aware of the issue. i applaud the effort, risk and execution.

[@stephenpuls8839]

As someone who knew nothing of this beforehand thank you so much for shading some light of this subject. It broke my heart learning and listening to this and what those women and girls had to go through. This makes me ashamed to be a 19 year old man. I just assumed that maybe the team were just aging and then eventually declining (perhaps this is true a little bit) but now I know the real reason of the decline I felt a immense sadness. However at least the Iceland Women's team were good in the Euro's this year and I am extremely sorry for Iceland and their fans. However I hope I can visit one day to Iceland as it's a amazing country 🇮🇸

[@insertgenericusernamehere2402]

What a vile and disgusting thing for those women to go through. My heart goes out to them, it takes a lot of bravery for that and I hope this is something that they hopefully can mentally recover from. I had no idea this happened it feels gross to say thanks for covering this because why I'd be thankful about hearing that kind of stuff seems warped, But it's good you made this more publicly known.

[@JP-vj7fp]

No convictions.

[@Me-ui1zy]

@@JP-vj7fp You understand that convictions require a lot. Rape usually is hard to prosecute because there is usually no evidence. That does not mean those people did not do those things. Believe women.

[@noobgun12]

@@Me-ui1zy nobody should believe anyone without evidence

[@vincentlewis838]

As always, what brilliant job in bringing this to the public Alfie. The statement from the lady at the end hit me hard.

[@chrisclee6693]

These videos are works of art. The depth and investigative skill involved are fantastic.

[@johnridsdale5889]

Your in depth analysis of such varied footballing topics is fantastic. Keep up the great work.

[@chriswoodtoarsenal]

I completely forgot about Icelandic football. Says it all really!

[@ChrisWynneR]

Currently sat in Yeovil at work watching this, was not expecting the harsh call out! It’s the second biggest town in Somerset, I’ll have you know! /s

[@holnrew]

At least it's not Bridgwater

[@brianhum8765]

Goodness, this team has fallen impressively far from the feel good story in sports in a very short amount of time. Really annoyed that despite having watched a lot of Iceland's matches since the '16 Euro qualifying, I'd not heard anything about these allegations which only further highlights football's attempt to hide the darker activities of its participants whether they be players, officials, the very top of FIFA's governing body, etc.

[@dipankarmodak2213]

HITC sevens has more subscribers than the whole of Iceland's population.

[@Jonathanizer]

I bought an Iceland shirt back in 2016, because who doesn't love a passionate underdog? I'm from Germany btw. Now i am not sure, if i can ever wear that jersey again. I has to be noted though, that much of the Icelandic public seemed to deal with this issue very reasonably, so at least large parts of society are not complicit, and that's the best environment for progress.

[@bentn13]

Also a commenter above noted how the women's team is now doing great, if the shirt is still basically the same, that spirit still is alive.

[@Alexandr-vn4le]

Jesus christ that's pathetic, how the fuck is the shirt stained because of this?. Unless you have the shirt of one accused players, then it's nothing to be ashamed about. This bullshit is like saying you can't wear a Manchester United shirt because Greenwood is a rapist or because Giggs is a piece of shit.

[@Fiucha8893]

@@bentn13 Nobody cares about women's football.

[@SOak145]

@@Fiucha8893 Definitionally incorrect, but keep trying .

[@Fiucha8893]

@@SOak145 What is incorrect? I'm saying facts, if you don't like the facts, go to cry in a corner.

[@badassmanale]

Thanks for the documentary Alfie! Excellent as always!

[@Machinationstudio]

Once again showing why you're the most valuable football channel on KZbin. Thanks for educating and shining a light on the topic.

[@olohijeoyakhire2258]

One of your best short documentaries Alfie. It was amazing from start to finish. I wasn't expecting the story to be this way

[@antoniocristiano4571]

Alfie. Can you do a documentary about Birmingham City. During 2011 they won the league cup beating arsenal, then surprisingly got relegated at the end of the 10/11 season. From 2011- 2014 they experienced financial issues, and were placed under an embargo. From 2016- 2021 there were 8 different managers who joined Birmingham City. It is reported they are around 120 million euros in debt. A lot of people have recognised the financial issues at Oldham Athletic, and Derby County. But Birmingham City are experiencing financial issues. If Derby County or reading did not have their point deductions Birmingham City would have been relegated to league 1.

[@andresland182]

I was totally aware (and sad though not surprised) about the fall when it comes to results after Russia 2018. So I was expecting a video from that point of view but what you showed is simply surprising and shocking. Great quality video

[@stevedimmock930]

Really good video Alfie, congratulations on raising more awareness of this particular scandal to those outside of Iceland, and for the way you approached such sensitive topics Are you planning to make a video soon about John Yems? As a Crawley Town fan I was horrified when the allegations against him came out, and feel what is alleged to have happened there could do with being discussed on this channel

[@juanestebangarcia919]

speechless after watching this video, horrific news and I wish all the survivors all the best, thank you Alfie for spreading awareness, this video needs more recognition!!

[@Kiev_The_Great]

Video has been out 36 minutes and there are already comments blaming the women who came forward. Stay classy internet!

[@sonofliberty1]

This is a really depressing but really powerful video. Excellent research and presentation and it is what sports journalism should be all about.

[@rorysparshott4223]

Really excellent video. Had absolutely no Idea about any of this

[@MrMet777]

There were still multiple players in the recent squad that were also in the Euro 2016 squad. Boovarsson, Magnusson, Traustason, and Jonsson were all in the most recent squad and the Euro 2016 squad.

[@depekthegreat359]

After watching this extremely so emotional video,I am extremely so shocked that this kind of an extremely so terrible incident happened and my full blame is on the KSI and police who were extremely so naive to never punish those perpetrators but the justice must be done extremely so severely which the real policemen together with the punishment which they have given to them,must have been done earlier and I am extremely so angry to while watching those players who committed that offence which must have been arrested and punished extremely so severely by the policemen!!!I DECLARE RIGHT NOW THAT ICELAND IS ONE OF THE RESPECTIVELY SAFEST COUNTRIES IN THIS WORLD AND OTHER PLANETS FOR BOTH THE RESPECTIVE WOMEN AND MEN,GOOD FRIENDS!!!🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸🇮🇸

[@LordWay]

I was unaware of what was going on with the national team and I'm glad this was made because it puts into focus how little is done to combat these issues within all nations

[@bentn13]

This is an amazing video, I wasn't aware of any of it. Thank you for doing this.

[@joebainbridge3993]

Thankyou for this. the last segment needed to be said

[@espben360]

It’s a shame! Loved this team as it gave every team and everyone in football hope that they can also get to the top of football and succeed. Hopefully they will get back to somewhere close to that level again

[@parrin96]

Absolutely brilliant, Alfie. Well done. You are doing important work.

[@ayomideoluwafemi3300]

First to comment. HITC, I hope we can have a full Afro-centric documentary or list one day, I know you did one on the Zaire national team, but you have some followers in Nigeria, I know I have watched all your videos.

[@CheekandBluster]

Very illuminating and affecting video. Alfie, you've really done a first-class job with a difficult subject.

[@weealpha64]

Respect to you young man. A long way different to your usual content but a strong message conveyed

[@kacpermichalak696]

Video idea: Downfall of Wisła Kraków. They're are one of the most decorated clubs in Poland and just got relegated

[@amo-kd9cn]

I had heard briefly about this but not about Gunnarson really makes me sad as he was my favourite player once but thanks for spreading the word on this

[@matthewhancock2382]

Hi Alfie .... Please keep doing what you do .... this kind of reporting/ journalism needs to be heard and sadly the "traditional" media forms are increasingly reluctant to do it

[@bhobg]

One of your best. Thanks Alfie for telling this story.

[@Rohcket]

Super high quality video, enjoyed the topic and what an interesting subject to bring to light in the football world

[@KennDrumm]

I lived in Iceland for a bit this year and was lucky to attend a few games. The shadow of all the vile actions of the perpetrators really does hang heavy over the sport and society in general. In terms of football the new young players are appeared to be bringing some hope and the Viking clap has returned (or at least it did in the Iceland v Israel game I attended) but Icelandic society and football in particular does appear to be looking at itself in the mirror and addressing the still very evident misogyny present there. I agree the "it is no worse than anywhere else" line is appalling I just hope that the, granted slow and late, changes being made somehow help the survivors in their journey through this horror

[@ToxicCokeCola]

You should be insanely proud of yourself Alfie. It takes a lot of talent to do what you do and I truly believe no one else makes videos of the same quality. However, this one was nothing short of astounding. It is one of the most transcendent KZbin videos I have ever seen, taking a topic that could be seen as outside of your realm of knowledge and bringing it to the forefront in such an emotionally sensitive and compelling way is truly incredible. I wish nothing but peace and justice for the victims of this story. Thank you so much for helping me to know about their stories, hopefully more around the world will continue to listen.

[@sonofliberty1]

I agree wholeheartedly with what you posted. It was a deeply emotional but one of the best pieces of sports journalism I've ever seen. Like Alfie says towards the end, the people of Iceland will find a new connection with emerging players (who hopefully don't repeat the sins of there forebears) and should be proud going forward in bringing any guilty people to account. Most importantly though, is that any victims get the justice they deserve. It's so sad to see that people still feel like they cannot report such crimes and that some people only came forwards because of the (alleged) lies of players that meant they were forced to re-live their trauma.

[@NaffyNJD]

Well done Alfie, thank you for spreading awareness.

[@DJMavis]

As ever, your documentaries are just superb. Thanks

[@joecurrie2381]

Alfie now that Stockport have been promoted to League Two for the first time in 11 years, I think its only fair to make a video on their recent fall and rise

[@exsandgrounder]

I enjoyed some fine matches at Stockport, as a Southport fan. They've come good though whilst we're still in Nat League North.

[@nicolassalamanca8051]

Goddamnit Great video Artie, I'm just heartbroken right now...

[@bestur2531]

Me as an icelandic was Gylfi Sigurðsson a hero but now……..

[@mashiah1]

Day 7: Best XI who never played in the world cup (excluding those who played before the first world cup in 1930)

[@jordananderson9748]

Thanks for the upload. Currently sitting in a hostel in Reykjavik. This’ll pass the time on the layover.

[@conradtoby]

Thank you for this video, well done.

[@seandelap6268]

You could say the same about Ireland unfortunately there's such a lack of talent coming through the academies here certainly not of the calibre of Roy Keane that i doubt we will ever qualify for the WC ever again.

[@BrianStorm742]

I mean... let's not compare the Ireland squad to this sexual assault-ridden Icelandic team

[@lollipopsaresmelly]

You can't say the same. Lack of talent and an entire fa repressing consistent sexual assault and child abuse images is not the same as Ireland having troy parrot as a tailsman! We are just shit. They destroyed their own county's fa

[@abhiN3127]

Most of your players sadly switch their nationalities 🙁

[@sondrejohansen48]

@@abhiN3127 yeah I think that is more the case then lack of talent. It’s just that they all switch their nationality to England

[@abhiN3127]

@@sondrejohansen48 yeah they had likes of Rice and Grealish who just switch their nationalities just to play in WC Ig

[@matthiasw8777]

It is absolutely disgusting as to what these players did. But thank you for Putting a Spotlight on it, the horrible Treatment of women in this industry needs to be adressed.

[@spnsoccer]

Best ever video, and there have been some great videos by you. Thanks!

[@manusiabumi7673]

Hi Alfie, can you make a video about Hakan Şükür, Hao Haidong, and probably several other football players who stood up against the dictators of their respective countries and paid the price?

[@dbtalahuonyommusic7067]

Hao Haidong showed support for a far-right New York-based movement who’s aim was to overthrow the Chinese government. Supporting a group with that aim would be illegal in any country. In fact, some western countries actually have a death penalty in place for attempted treason (which is what his organisation had intentions of doing.) As for Şükür, he’s part of an ultra-conservative Islamist group. So while it would be an interesting video, I think there’s more to these two than just “standing up to dictators” 😬😬

[@manusiabumi7673]

@@dbtalahuonyommusic7067 if it is as you say then it's just gonna be even more interesting, hopefully Alfie sees this

[@dbtalahuonyommusic7067]

@@manusiabumi7673 yeah that’s true. Footballers who joined a really peculiar political party or organisation in general could also make a good video

[@manusiabumi7673]

@@dbtalahuonyommusic7067 or maybe "7 footballers with far-right political view" and "7 footballers with far-left political view" in the usual Alfie style

[@dbtalahuonyommusic7067]

@@manusiabumi7673 I hope Alfie sees it too, he seems to be into political videos so I think he’s going to really like this idea if he sees it

[@damilolabakare887]

These guys were hailed as heroes by the whole footballing world. To discover that this was going on behind the scenes is heartbreaking.

[@cesarespino1159]

great video! such a sad video and thanks for educating us

[@AdamMiligan]

Alfie, you're brilliant and necessary, amazing job! We need to stand against misogyny in every sphere of society.

[@jord.an6123]

Wonderful documentary. Thanks for highlighting the issues with sexism, sexual assault and racism in football.

[@Micfri300]

I hope that all the icelandic karens enjoy being back at 133rd in the world ranking

[@MastinoNapoletano420]

That viking chant at the end of their matches, win or lose was epic. I think that is what really had the rest of the world watching...their solidarity.

[@exsandgrounder]

Apparently picked up from Motherwell fans, who had played an Icelandic team in a European match.

[@MikoyanGurevichMiG21]

Morocco carried that chant onto the World Cup.

[@forechunkukee]

Stay awesome Alfie. Keep giving voice to these issues.

[@sophwan]

your analysis is fantastic. very well delivered video

[@keighlancoe5933]

It's ironic. I began following Iceland many years before the fruit of their labour's blossomed, and I watch the team grow and grow and the results getting better and better. Iceland kind of became my second team, and I knew they were not only going to eventually qualify for a tournament, they'd also do very, very well. When they eventually did, I was ecstatic with joy to be honest with you. I then wished them the very best and hoped they'd get a big scalp along the way. And they did, didn't they. Only problem was, I'm bloody English.

[@88risingfan32]

Great video Alfie, another great piece

[@Bunniejasmine]

thank you for what you do alfie. i hope you know it is truly appreciated. i also appreciate you at least alluding to the other case regarding a certain former ballon d'or winner. it's sickening how it's been swept under the rug, how he's still celebrated and how people who as much as mention it are treated

[@astridlindholm1159]

Fame protects people, because nobody wants to deal with the idea that their idol is a horrible person.

[@Me-ui1zy]

Yup. Its so so incredibly sad how people treat him as a god. The dude isnt even allowed into the US atm. There is credibility to the allegations. Not that it matters. Because this world is insanely misogynistic.

[@constablekennedy7705]

Their Run at that Euros was Epic ….. 🔥. ⚽️

[@chrisknight2631]

Jeez, that lady’s Instagram post at the end hit hard. Poor woman. What a great video! How does nobody really know about this? Well, I suppose you said why, but still, it baffles me that this is the first time I have heard about it. I heard a few things about Sigursson of Everton but that seemed to come to nothing. Truly shocking. Thank you for another great video, you are the best!

[@tarik6990]

As someone who has been to Iceland, I can tell you football is huge up there. It's a damn shame what happened to them since the 2014-2018 period but they have amazing footballing infrastructure and they continue to invest a lot in the sport so with a potential future generation they may very well qualify for another major tournament in the next 5 to 15 years.

[@cmenomore8119]

Iceland doesn’t have any potential for the simple reason that they have a population of 350k. (You can’t get much out of that) Even if they are not as good right now they are still overachieving. Nothing happened to them since the 2014-2018 period they just shrink back to their natural floor.

[@tarik6990]

@@cmenomore8119 I disagree that they don't have potential. It's not all about population, if you have proper infrastructure and grassroots programs which Iceland invested in quite massively since the early 2010s you can at least start from an early age and build up players who will then work to qualify regularly for major tournaments.

[@cmenomore8119]

@@tarik6990 It’s simple logic that doesn’t need your agreement. Talent is irreplaceable and the percentage of talent in Iceland is the same amount of any other country. You can compensate the lack of manpower to a certain degree but just not in the scale we talk about.

[@tarik6990]

@@cmenomore8119 Talent isn't everything, team cohesion comes into play which is what made Iceland so good between 2014 and 2019.

[@cmenomore8119]

@@tarik6990 Wrong! You completely missing the point that the 2016 team had talent (even more as Iceland should have)… no high end elite talent but enough to play proper football. If cohesion would be so relevant my beer league team would win the World Cup.

[@morganclement1637]

This is a massive one Alfie,that last part quoted from the victim of 2010 gang rape hit differently. Indeed there is a disparity on matters social justice,being black and supportive of BLM wholesome,I champion for the Me Too movement to also be given the same support as the racism one since it transcend all races. Gender Based Violence as well as Discrimination based on sexuality should have no room in football.

[@JeanClaudeCOCO]

It didn’t cross my mind why Iceland fell off. I remember watching their World Cup qualifier against Germany and thinking they look pretty bad. I thought it was just the end of their golden generation but to have such a fall off like that and now with this video explanation it comes full circle. It’s like a rag to riches story. When the couple who’ve been together for 30 years win the lottery and then their lives change in an instant only to find out later they hate each other and the money is gone. They brought so much joy and influence fan culture around the world. Being from the US, Iceland won a lot of admirers and their story was plaster all over our media in an uplifting way. What a tragedy for the victims and population of Iceland.

[@SamliLamli]

Thanks for the Faroe Islands shoutout. I appreciate it. Kom so Føroyar 🇫🇴

[@ulfurkarlsson5885]

I hope you can do well, it would be even bigger achievement for you guys, i think we will also have a comeback, i thought some of the players where treated a bit harshly in my opinion, because they always said they where innocent. If someone is guilty of any form of violence they should never play the beautiful game. But when its word against word it should go through the court. Not Newspapers or football pitch.

[@OttawaRocks]

Thank you for this very insightful video. It will no doubt educate the ethical viewer watching and hopefully encourage him/her to do better if faced with similar circumstances of unethical individuals abusing enormous amounts of power held. In this story, had KSI bothered to do the right thing, even one individual within the organization, that cycle of abuse could have been cut off at the pass much earlier.

[@salukidc]

I knew about Gylfi (allegedly). I never knew about the rest

[@olafsson86]

Thank you for covering this massive topic. Everything you said in this video is true. I hate what the world has become. I am an Icelander. Let's hope the future gets better. Gudni Bergsson is running for president of KSÍ against nobody. Things are looking good again ❤❤❤

[@lkrnpk]

I remember in the old days when after EURO 04 Latvia on occasion could still bite some bigger team, we once won Iceland 4:0 in EURO 08 qualification, I never thought at that time that Iceland would go on to play as good as it did just 8 years or so later... But I think small countries without huge traditions like Croatia, it is hard to maintain great form. When stars align and you get a few great players and great chemistry in team, you can do great things. When that ends and there is generation change... Same as for my country Latvia after EURO 04, we also thought it would be a new beginning, but it was just a mirage

[@AfroChilanGringo]

I LOVE YOUR KZbin DOCUMENTARIES! THIS IS ONE OF YOUT TOP 5...NO DOUBT. i learned so much. And yes I was wondering what happened to Iceland!

[@SchrodingersGat]

I don't know how you do it, man. Most have to sacrifice quality for quantity or vice versa, but you nail it every time.

[@palmiragnarsson3795]

The idea that Icelandic football culture isn't sexist is ridiculous to me as someone who played youth football in Iceland

[@stuartpenman6387]

ok go on explain?

[@palmiragnarsson3795]

@@stuartpenman6387 first of this is based on my experience but a lot of people I know agree. First of its a bunch of teenage boys with no girls around and if you say something someone said is fucked up you'll get made fun of. It also doesn't help that a lot of coaches let that shit slide. Also I absolutely contributed to the locker room culture when I was a kid Im not proud of it but I won't deny it

[@stuartpenman6387]

@@palmiragnarsson3795 so based on nothing ok

[@palmiragnarsson3795]

@@stuartpenman6387 no it's based on the experience of football culture in Iceland. What am I supposed to base it on the fucking King James Bible

[@Alexandr-vn4le]

Having lived in a south american country and in australia, I can say, football is, in general, way way more sexist than the mainstream society (in both countries).

[@tobbidagur3463]

A well known fact is that there is a dark side to the beautiful game it has came up in Iceland just wait for all of the other countries in the world.

[@rwalker0130]

Let me introduce you to american college football and basketball

[@auraline_vt]

This topic will hurt me :( I will always remember their win over England in 2016.