Tottenham's trip to the Arctic Circle: Why Spurs fear a giant-killing in town of 40,000 where fans are trading tickets for fish and reindeer meat

Daily Mail​

08-05-2025

Having secured a 3-1 lead in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt, many would make Tottenham clear favourites to progress past their Norwegian opponents and take a major step towards silverware.
There are some, however, who are fearing Ange Postecoglou 's side could become the latest to suffer a giant killing on a unique trip into the Arctic Circle.
In 10 home ties in this European campaign, which started in July in the Champions League qualifiers, the Norwegian champions have won nine.
This has included victories against established clubs such as Lazio, Olympiacos, Twente, Besiktas and Red Star. Three years ago, they beat Roma 6-1 after knocking out Postecoglou's Celtic.
Part of their success in Europe, where they have won 28 of their last 34 home games, has been put down to the artificial surface at the 8,270-capacity Aspmyra Stadium in the Norwegian fishing town.
'We are a good football team first and foremost. Like most teams, we are better at home than away,' said Bodo/Glimt boss Kjetil Knutsen.
'The grass we have is what we play on. It's due to the climate. And the more you play on it the better you get. At home, over time, we have learned to trust in ourselves. It's a good pitch and good players can easily adapt.'
Despite struggling on a artificial pitch in an FA Cup third round tie at non-league Tamworth in January, Postecoglou's side opted to only train on a plastic surface on Wednesday at the Norwegian side's stadium.
Tottenham do look set to benefit from warmer weather conditions than many of the sides to have fallen to Bodo/Glimt so far in Europe.
Sub-zero temperatures had led to snow needing to be cleared in the build-up to their quarter-final tie against Lazio last month. However, the temperature is expected to be around 5C by kick-off time, although Spurs may have to tackle windy conditions due to the town's location on the coast.
While the conditions might be more hospitable, some locals made an attempt to create some unease for their Premier League visitors by setting off fireworks outside the Tottenham hotel at around 2.37am.
'The perpetrators were observed running from the scene,' a police statement read. 'When the police arrived they found several rocket batteries. Some were not lit.
'These were taken by the police, in order to maintain peace and order.'
With the fishing town of Bodo, located around 1,000 kilometres north of the capital Olso, having a population of around 40,000 the club's rise over recent years has been remarkable.
Ulrik Saltnes, who scored their crucial late goal in the first leg, claimed earlier this year that the club was effectively semi-professional when he signed in 2011 but is now run like an elite outfit.
Having been relegated to the second tier in 2017, the club bounced back the following year before emerging as Norway's dominant force by claiming the domestic title in 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024.
The appointment of a former Norwegian Air Force pilot, Bjørn Mannsverk, as a mental coach in 2017 was reportedly a key moment.
Mannsverk told the Associated Press his role was to help players talk openly about their feelings and reduce stress levels, having found the the squad suffered from 'a collective mental breakdown' in matches during their relegation season.
Mannsverk, whose duties in the Norwegian air force took him to Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks and to Libya for a NATO-led intervention in 2011, explained his squadron had been subject to a mental training project in 2010 where the focus was on meditation and 'every day repeating boring stuff, but with 100 per cent attention.'
The training reportedly helped them perform dangerous missions in Libya, with his squadron's mantra of 'train as you intend to fight' working.
'Even though I got strong feelings when my first bombs hit the target and it was in infernal flames and fragments and everything,' Mannsverk said. 'It was like, "My training said that it´s OK, this is happening, recognize that, but know I have to return and do my job."'
Mannsverk would move across to Bodo/Glimt to help improve the team's 'mental conditioning', with members of the club's leadership coming across the squadron due the town until recently being home to a NATO air base.
Mannsverk's techniques - which include meditation, one-on-one sessions and group meetings - were said to have helped Saltnes overcome stress-related stomach issues that flared up around matches, with the midfielder having previously considered retiring.
As the club have enjoyed domestic success and have made strides in Europe in recent years, they have also sought to make an impact away from the football pitch.
Since 2019, the club have had a project titled Action Now which has attempted to raise awareness of key issues such as climate change and promote sustainable practices.
All members of the club are involved in the project, with the club's academy teams - down to their under-13s - choosing specific sustainability goals to support each season.
Activities have included clearing up beaches and raising awareness of reducing the amount of plastic in the oceans.
The club have had Action Now featured on their kits, which the club state have been produced by Puma with sustainable materials.
Given the appetite to watch the semi-final, locals have been battling in any way they can to secure tickets for Thursday night's match, with some selling fish and reindeer meat in order to get a seat.
Torbjorn Eide, a production boss at a fish farm in Torsken, told Norway's state broadcaster NRK that he offered five kilograms of semi-fried boknafisk for a ticket. The haul of fish, worth around £181, managed to tempt a fellow fan into giving up their seat.
'We produce Norway's best bokna fish, and it may not be possible to get it in Bodo city (which is eight hours away). So I thought maybe someone would like it, Eide said.
'You know, those of us who work in fishing are often creative. I didn't really think it would work, but then a guy showed up who wanted to try boknafisk.'
Boknafish, which is typically cod, is partially dried in the cold outdoors and is a traditional dish in northern Norway.
Oystein Aanes, who bought the fish, told NRK: 'It was just a funny thing. The ticket was actually for my brother, who was supposed to travel from Oslo, but he didn't make it anyway.
'I've never bought bokna fish before, I don't even know how to prepare it. The fish is for my mother, so she can take care of it.'
Another fan, Nils Erik Oskal, was inspired by the fish trade so thought he would try his luck with reindeer meat.
'I was number 40,000 in the queue or something. I had some extra meat to spare,' he told NRK.
'I thought it must be possible to do it with reindeer meat. Someone was munching on it. It didn't take long. It wasn't a cheap ticket considering what reindeer meat usually costs. But it's really the same thing, I get to experience something great.'
Fans will look to cheer on Bodo/Glimt players with giant yellow toothbrushes, which became a tradition association with the club back in the 1970s
For those lucky enough to get a ticket, the likelihood is they will be waving one a giant yellow toothbrush, something that has been a tradition at the club since the 1970s.
The tradition emerged after the country's biggest dental company Jordan offered fans a sponsorship, after spotting how fan leaders had used toothbrushes to conduct singing.
Bodo/Glimt typically give a normal sized yellow toothbrush to the visiting team's captain ahead of matches. In the absence of Son Heung-min due to injury, that honour looks set to fall to Cristian Romero.
Tottenham will be hoping it will be a token on a successful journey to Bilbao, while Bodo/Glimt aim to make it the last prized possession Spurs receive in the competition this year.