Q: First thing I want to know, what was your first memory regarding KÍ? Was it going to a match, watching on TV?
A: I'm only 26 but have been to the stadium since I was 4, that would be the first. Generational KÍ in the family. So proud to be a fan of this club!
Q: Do you remember your first match at the Við Djúpumýrar?
A: No, no I don't. But the first one that I remembered was when we faced HB (Havnar Bóltfelag, biggest rival of KÍ). I was 7. So scared because there were SO many people (around 2.000) but since then I've just been stuck in the stadium.
Q: For a country with around 50.000 inhabitants, I imagine 2.000 is a good crowd for a match, right?
A: 2000 is a typical number for HB - KI games. But ONLY those games. It's the “Clásico”. Everyone dismisses the other clubs. I would rather sleep with my sister than have an HB jersey on. Normally we're around 500-800 people in the stadium.
Q: And what’s your favourite memory from KÍ?
A: From the TV: 6-0 against Dinamo Tbilisi in the Europa League. From the field: Winning the 2019 Faroese league on the final day away to B36 and ending a 19-year drought!
Q: Speaking of which, what does football mean to an average Faroese? Is it a great part of their lives? Is it more of a "weekend entertainment"?
A: Football is the national sport. Everyone at least follows the National Team, no doubt. There are many families at club games too. But it's a tradition to watch football every Saturday and Sunday. Sometimes we also say that it's only HB-KÍ that's not for kids. We even have stewards for those games. Of, those silly HB fans man...
Q: Moving to that international scale, what does it mean for fans of KÍ, HB to face other European teams, even if it's in the qualifying rounds for the Champions League?
A: I'm banned from an HB forum on Facebook, but I know for a fact that every team supports one another. We want the Faroe Islands to succeed in international football so we need the teams to be as good as possible in Europe.
Q: So we can say that when it comes to European football, everyone kind of "joins" in supporting one another? The flag is more important than the badge, in a way?
A: True! Even I would like to see HB go deep into Europe. It's ONLY about the flag, yes.
Q: What did it mean for you and the fans that KÍ reached the play-off rounds of the 2020/21 Europa League for the first time in their history?
A: We made a big screen party at the stadium. 600 came. We drank lots of beers. But yeah, Dundalk went through. But we made a lot of money so that's amazing! But man, what a time it was. I got smashed, I must admit.
Q: I'm guessing then that the National Team's matches must be a total party then? I think anyone that ever watched a qualifiers match has seen Tórsvøllur at its full capacity with the passionate Faroese Viking fans!
A: A party is an understatement. If we could invite our sheep to join in, they would! We L O V E our National Team and try and will push and cheer our players all the time! KOYR Á! as we say. I’m getting emotional now!
Q: Diving into the National Team's whereabouts, do you think Faroese football has what it takes to, one day, make it to the Euros or the World Cup? Is the quality of the players rising?
A: No. Honestly no. But I think we're improving a lot. The next-gen has been amazing (U21) so we're only getting started. I think we can compete for way more than what we've done. But let's be honest… Not, to the finals, I doubt it.
Q: One can only dream! Amazing things have happened before so, why not again? I am usually not a fan of politics mixed with football (or anything for that matter) but I just wanted to ask: do you guys believe football to be a platform to express yourselves? Like, despite being inside the Kingdom of Denmark, technically, you guys are pretty independent I'd say. Do you see Denmark as a football rival or more?
A: We are. I mean, it's hard not to mix it when the former Prime Minister is also a former national team player (Kaj Leo Johannesen). Football-wise we don't like Denmark, but otherwise, we're good friends with them.
Q: How would you say a typical matchday is for a Faroese? Are there any pre-match rituals?
A: No, actually not. Only when we take the away bus. Then we drink a few beers, play cards, sing Faroese songs, sing songs against HB and talk about either sheep or fishing.
Q: And lastly, could you describe the Faroes with one word, and what does the sport mean to you, what is "football" for Kaj Leo Hendriksson?
A: Sheeps. No, hahaha. "Passion". Football is everything. I have a girlfriend, but not on game days I don’t because then it's only KI that matters. I LOVE this club and I would gladly give my two arms for this club to be successful.
Klaksvíkar Ítróttarfelag, commonly known as KÍ Klaksvík, is one of the most successful teams in the Faroe Islands. As the Basic Guide shows, they have won 18 league titles and 6 cup titles in their 116 year-long history. With such an impressive past and present, there is no doubt that the team has one of the biggest fanbases in all of the Islands. Kaj Leo Hendriksson, 26, is a proud KÍ lifelong supporter, and there is nothing he wouldn't do for his club and his country. This is his story.
