Eyjafjallajökull is the name of an Icelandic volcano best known for creating havoc across European skies in 2010 when it spewed ash into the atmosphere. For almost five days, flight paths across the continent were closed because of this volcano – do not bother trying to pronounce the name, it’s complicated – from Europe’s northern-most island nation.
Six years later, Iceland again has Europe waiting with bated breath after its national football team took the European football championship finals in France by storm.
The country with a population of just 323,000 qualified from the group stages after beating Austria 2-1; a winning goal best remembered for the hysterical screams of joy it provoked in an Icelandic radio commentator.
Tonight, Iceland play England in the knock-out stage but, whatever the outcome, this tiny country has already made history.
Iceland’s participation in the Euro 2016 finals was the first time the country made it to the finals of any major football tournament and the success has even managed to excite the football illiterate.
But Iceland’s footballing success is not a fluke. The country has been registering progress for at least a decade.
Only two years ago, the country was thwarted from qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil in a two-leg play-off against Croatia. After drawing 0-0 at home, the Icelandic team saw its World Cup hopes dashed in Croatia when it lost 2-0.
For Maltese football lovers the Icelandic story generates mixed feelings. It instils a sense of hope that a small country, even smaller in population size than Malta, can still make it big. But it also generates a sense of frustration at our own lack of progress in international football.
In the qualifiers for the 2006 World Cup, Malta and Iceland played each other. In the home match at Ta’ Qali, Malta clinched a 0-0 draw but went on to lose 4-1 in Reykjavik.
Iceland were once a team that Malta could easily beat but statistics for the years between 2006 and 2016 provide a stark contrast of the progress made by both countries.
Iceland averaged one point per game in the qualifying stages for the three World Cup and three Euro tournaments held in the period.
This is a huge revolution because we can play football all year round instead of four or five months a year
On the opposite end, Malta only averaged 0.2 points per game, ending on the bottom rung of its group every time.
During the same period, Iceland scored an average of 1.2 goals per game against Malta’s 0.4 goals.
The difference is also notable in the goals conceded. While Iceland’s average per game stood at 1.8, Malta’s was 2.5 per game.
Iceland is ranked 34 in the world by Fifa, the world football body, while Malta languishes at 166.
The difference is more than evident but, according to the Malta Football Association secretary general Bjorn Vassallo, it is a mistake to compare the size of the country.
Writing on his Facebook wall soon after Iceland held Portugal to a 1-1 draw in their opening game in France, Mr Vassallo said the more important figure was the available pool of professional players. “Iceland beats us by far.” According to Siggi Eyjolfsson, the former head coach of Iceland’s women national team, the country has about 90 professional footballers who play in foreign leagues.
Malta’s football exports could possibly be counted on two hands alone, a fact that did not escape Christian Micallef, a sports presenter on Net TV.
Writing in a post below Mr Vassallo’s comment, he noted that Malta’s biggest problem was its mentality. “My biggest disappointment is when I hear of Maltese players who go abroad but come back for some reason or another,” he said.
Exporting domestic football talent was an important first step to start emulating what the Icelandic national team has done.
“To do this, we must not spoil our children since they have to be ready to make sacrifices,” Mr Micallef said, noting that football was many times viewed as a hobby rather than a profession by players and administrators.
The calls to have football players join foreign clubs are not entirely misplaced. At club level, Malta compares well with Iceland and other minnow countries like Northern Ireland that have made it big at this year’s Euro 2016.
Looking at the club rankings released by Uefa, the European football body, Iceland’s topmost clubs, Hafnarfjordur and KR Reykjavik, are ranked 241 and 242, respectively. The closest Maltese team is Valletta at 286.
And, yet, despite not having any super clubs, Iceland has still managed to make big inroads as a result of the players who ply their trade in Europe’s big leagues.
However, Iceland’s success is not just about players making it big abroad. To arrive at that there was substantial investment in coaching education and facilities.
During a presentation in Norway last year, Mr Eyjolfsson said 67 per cent of all coaches from nursery level to main teams had a Uefa B licence while 28 per cent had a Uefa A licence.
He said there had been a concerted effort to professionalise coaching at all levels with the Icelandic football association even slashing course prices.
The icy island nation also saw a massive improvement in football facilities over the past 10 years. Given Iceland’s particularly cold climate, the building of indoor football pitches financed by local councils meant players could play all year round.
“This is a huge revolution because we can play football all year round instead of four or five months a year and this has been going on for 13 years now,” Mr Eyjolfsson said.
Malta may not have a climate problem and investment in club pitches has been going on for some years now. But, on their own, facilities will not be enough.
It boils down again to mentality and attitude. In the words of MFA vice president Chris Bonett, “everything is possible but nothing is a gift”.
Responding on Facebook to the various comments by Maltese football enthusiasts enthralled by Iceland’s success, Dr Bonett said administrators, clubs and coaches had to help players make the leap to professional football abroad.
“Our players have to learn to make sacrifices and look at the bigger picture. Being number one in Malta is definitely not enough. You have been gifted with a talent; think bigger, achieve more,” he wrote.
Will anybody be listening tonight? Maybe, as Iceland could very well continue to write the next chapter in their football history.
The painful road
Qualifying games: World Cup 2006 to Euro 2016
| Iceland | Malta | |
| Average points p/game | 1 | 0.2 |
| Average goals scored p/game | 1.2 | 0.4 |
| Average goals conceded p/game | 1.8 | 2.5 |
| Best placing in groups | 2nd | Last |
kurt.sansone@timesofmalta.com