The chairman's report 2025/2026

The year since the last general meeting feels, from a sporting perspective, like two different realities. We started as a major force in Danish football and ended somewhere that smells of the 1990s.

This summer, we were in a sporting position where things could hardly have been better on both the women’s and men’s sides. The women’s team kept rolling and secured the club’s first promotion, culminating at Parken in front of 18,096 spectators – a new record for a Danish women’s club match. 

We had long been looking forward to the match and the promotion celebration at Parken, and the team received a great tifo. It was otherwise a somewhat chaotic affair with limited time due to an international match at Parken the day before, but it succeeded thanks to our volunteers, who worked tirelessly to get everything ready. They deserve great credit – both for that match and for their support of the women.

We are still in the process of building a sustainable fan scene. It takes time and effort, but the match at Parken showed that it is all worth it and that the potential is huge. We also arranged buses for away matches against Varde and OB and will try to do so again in the future. Therefore, we hope to see even more fans show up and contribute to the atmosphere and volunteer work. It will be an exciting spring, and the women need all the support they can get so that we can hopefully celebrate promotion again – this time to the top league.

On the men’s side, we came from winning The Double and had a team that looked extremely exciting, with a good mix of young and experienced players. A fantastic end to the season and yet another demonstration of what F.C. Copenhagen can be when things work.

From a fan perspective, however, the spring was not without challenges. The cup final turned into a long farce with uncertainty about the venue and capacity. That process is not sustainable – neither for fans nor for the competition. It makes no sense to place a final at a venue where you do not dare use the stadium’s full capacity because safety for the many fans who want to attend the country’s biggest single football match cannot be guaranteed. We expect lessons to be learned going forward and look forward to the cup final on Ascension Day, which will be held at Parken as it should be.

The calendar year 2025 became a year completely without away fans at derby matches against Brøndby. This was decided after the scandalous scenes we saw at Brøndby Stadium in autumn 2024, where Brøndby fans managed to attack the away section via the side stand. It was understandable, and probably necessary, to draw a line in the sand, take a breath, and figure out how to ensure that derby matches can be played with fans from both teams in the stadium in the future. Therefore, we were also ready to roll up our sleeves this spring when away fans were allowed again. However, that became irrelevant as we ended up in the lower half of the Superliga, but we look forward to once again participating in the preparatory meetings ahead of derby matches.

At the same time, there has been increased focus on combating violence through new measures under hooligan legislation. No one wants violence, and it should be safe to attend football matches. For us, it is important that solutions do not affect the many people who simply want to support their club. That balance will be crucial, and we will continue to do our part to be involved in the political discussions going forward, so that the contributions of peaceful fans are not forgotten.

The case in Fredericia clearly showed why a supporters’ club is still relevant. Many fans could not see the match because too many people had been admitted relative to what the section’s layout allowed. We therefore tried to have the case reviewed by the Consumer Ombudsman after several attempts to initiate a dialogue with FC Fredericia. The rules make it difficult to file a collective complaint, but we believe that, at a minimum, you should be able to see the product you have paid for. In addition, there were also safety concerns. This is something we will continue to work on.

2025 also brought an anniversary. Nedre C turned 30 years old. That represents many years of terrace history and many people who, over time, have helped build the stand, and we marked the anniversary with a large tifo that connected past and present by featuring the 1995 shirt as a banner on one side of the stand, the 2025 shirt on the other side, and a large FCK logo in the middle, while also selling crepe paper rolls at the entrances as in the good old days. Nedre C has had a huge impact on the atmosphere at Parken and on how fan culture has been shaped at F.C. Copenhagen. The anniversary was a good opportunity both to look back, but also to remind ourselves that the stand can only continue to exist if new generations join and take part in shaping the historic side stand at Parken – and that is also our goal going forward.

On the European stage, we have once again been involved where it is exciting. Champions League for the third time in four years – this time in the new league phase format, which gave us an extra away match to deal with. A European autumn always means an intense workload for our office staff. There are many considerations regarding how much we dare to invest financially. Chartering a plane is extremely expensive, and prices are unfortunately only going one way. We do everything we can to keep prices attractive, but at the same time we must take responsibility for the finances of FCKFC.

That is why we had to cancel the trip to Villarreal when fewer than 100 tickets had been sold shortly before the deadline. We also tried, together with Sektion 12 and the club, to organize a trip to the away match against Qarabag, but it did not succeed. Otherwise, an obvious destination, as it is both expensive and difficult to travel there independently.

It takes a lot to organize these trips, but when we stand in Copenhagen Airport and see the many happy and excited members, it is all worth it. European nights stay with you long afterward, and away trips with friends from the stands create memories for life. We are both happy and proud to contribute to that.

For away matches in Denmark, we have again had a year of sold-out trips for almost everything we have put on sale. We know that some have asked whether we can arrive earlier at away matches, as it is often experienced that the sections are already full when our bus arrives. As with the European trips, it is always a balance of how much we feel an away trip in Denmark should cost, and if we are to leave earlier, the longer trips require an additional driver on the bus and thus a higher price. However, we have decided to test this during the spring to see whether you still find it attractive to travel with us if prices increase on trips where two drivers are necessary.

In 2025, we also opened our new stand on Øvre C, meaning we are now represented on the family stand, Nedre C, and Øvre C. It has long been a major priority for the board to get closer to our members on Øvre C, and we are very pleased that the club has given us the opportunity to use the space we have been allocated. This is also reflected in sales both at the stands and in our online shop, where our members clearly appreciate the opportunity to buy merchandise. In the longer term, we will try to differentiate the selection and create merchandise specifically aimed at, for example, Øvre C. So if you have not yet visited our stand at C9, feel free to stop by at the next home match.

In terms of events, we have once again hosted a Christmas tree party, Christmas bingo, and a volunteer party. The Christmas bingo set a record, and interest in the events is high. We wish we could offer this cozy day to many more people, but we are unfortunately limited by the otherwise quite large venue made available to us by F.C. Copenhagen.

On the fan policy side, we have participated in meetings about hooligan legislation as well as events organized by Danish Football Fans (DFF) and Football Supporters Europe (FSE). This work is important to us, as it allows us to influence decisions and build a valuable network. In addition, we have maintained ongoing dialogue with the club, where we have, among other things, addressed challenges related to the family stand and the closure of the fan bar at the corner of the B and C stands.

And then there is the elephant in the room: results. For a period, the atmosphere has been marked by something resembling a crisis. When you do not win matches, questions begin to arise. Expectations at F.C. Copenhagen are high, and setbacks weigh just as heavily.

It is not the first time a season has disappointed, but one must expect us to be closer to where things are exciting than has been the case this year. Normally, we bring our concerns and criticism to meetings, but various factors meant that we felt compelled to go public this time. The open letter to management and the board was, in our view, the ultimate sign of our loyalty and love, and the desperation that can arise when you suddenly find yourself in a situation where too much feels unfamiliar, as if one has forgotten that F.C. Copenhagen is, first and foremost, a football club. In such moments, we believe it is our foremost duty to speak up loudly.

Because regardless of the outcome of the season, F.C. Copenhagen is still the biggest club in Danish football, with the largest fan base, the biggest ambitions, and the greatest potential. But that must not be taken for granted. It requires that we protect the culture on which the success is built.

Finally, I would like to thank the board, the office, and not least the many volunteers for their tremendous efforts over the past year.