Kasper Hjulmand reveals: That was my biggest mistake as national coach

The former Danish national team coach Kasper Hjulmand on Wednesday evening put into words the biggest mistake he made during his time as head of the Danish national football team. 

This happened on DR’s ‘Aftenshowet’, where, as a guest, he was asked to complete the sentence: 

– My biggest mistake with the national team was …?

Here, Hjulmand did not hesitate to point to Denmark’s participation in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as the most problematic aspect of his time at the helm of the national team.

– I have said before that I think, overall, we could have done something better in connection with the World Cup in Qatar, and I myself had a fair share in that, said Hjulmand.

The finals became a national talking point in the time leading up to and during the tournament, where the criticism was particularly directed at the host country’s view on human rights and the working conditions of the migrant workers who built the stadiums.

Pressure from outside took up too much space

According to Hjulmand, it was not just sporting preparations that filled the run-up to the finals. 

The pressure from the outside world and the ethical questions surrounding the tournament cast a heavy shadow over the entire team’s focus.

– That applies to all of us. Our stance on having to single out some players who had to take a stand on it, and there was an enormous amount of pressure on everything other than football, he said.

He also admitted that he himself could have handled his role differently in the process:

– It was enormously difficult to be focused and present, and there were so many things around it that we would have liked to have done differently, including my role in it.

Early exit

Denmark failed to live up to expectations in the tournament. 

The team collected just one point in the group stage and thus went out as bottom of a group with France, Tunisia and Australia.

A performance that was described as a sporting failure and has subsequently given cause for reflection.

Kasper Hjulmand left the national team post in mid-2024, when he stepped down after four years at the helm of the Danish men’s national team.