DBU DRAFT IN FUTSAL, LOWER LEAGUE PLAYERS

The Danish Football Association (DBU) have very deliberately named a second-string squad for their upcoming international friendlies against Slovakia and Wales, even including a futsal player in the selection due to an ongoing dispute with their first-team players and their union. The dispute is centred around commercial image rights, with the senior squad members wanting to change regulations that would in turn allow them to sign individual sponsorship deals with any brand they like, including those in direct competition with the DBU's corporate affiliates. Had the DBU failed to name a squad for the aforementioned fixtures, they could well have been excluded from competing at Euro 2020. As such, according to Danish paper Ekstra Bladet, the squad includes relatively unknown lower league players and even members of the national futsal team. No player from the country's top two professional divisions have made themselves available for selection. National manager Aage Hareide won't be in the dugout either, as the DBU don't want him to take charge of a team he didn't pick.