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This is confirmed by the club on its website.
The club writes that Solbakken is fired because the club has not recently delivered results “at a satisfactory level”.
– Ståle is without comparison the most successful manager in FCK history, and everyone at the club owes him a huge thank you for the effort he has put in. However, we must affirm that the results in 2020 have not been satisfactory, and now we are assuming the consequences of that, says the chairman of the board, Bo Rygaard.
TAKE CONTROL: William Kvist, Solbakken alumnus.
Photo: Matthias Schrader / AP
Assistant coach Bård Wiggen has also finished. Hjalte Bo Nørregaard and former FCK player William Kvist have been named a temporary technical team.
Current for Norway?
The decision comes as Lars Lagerbäck’s position as manager of the Norwegian national team is hotly debated. Solbakken was ready for the job in 2012, but declined when he landed a managerial position at the great German club Cologne. In 2017, he was also a current candidate for the NFF, but he declined.
– This puts more pressure on Lagerbäck. If he does poorly in the next matches, Solbakken will be a clear candidate to take over the job. I guess they call you pretty quick to explore the possibilities, says NRK expert Morten Morisbak Skjønsberg.
Carl-Erik Torp agrees.
– He is a man who has been talked about for a long time, as the association and many in Norway want. So it is natural to start a conversation with him to hear what he thinks, and I hope so too, says the football expert.
CHANGED: Ståle Solbakken would take over Norway in 2012, but chose the German Colony instead.
Photograph: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB
The Norwegian Football Association came out on Friday and protected Lagerbäck, who will lead Norway in national league matches against Romania (Sunday) and Northern Ireland (Wednesday).
– Obviously Solbakken is a candidate, but I still believe that Lagerbäck should continue even if Solbakken has lost his job, says the NRK expert.
Nor does Torp believe that immediate change is necessary, and that in that case all parties should agree on what best serves Norway.
– Personally, I have more faith in Solbakken as coach of the national team than in Lagerbäck, in the long run. I think it can suit our types of games a little better than what Lagerbäck does, says Torp.
– Unique in Scandinavian football
The 52-year-old has left a challenging period behind after several years of success at FC Copenhagen, for which he took over as manager in 2013.
This season FCK have one win, one draw and two losses after four games, but the biggest disappointment came when the club failed to qualify for the Europa League, which reached the quarter-finals last year.
– Responsibility for the sports recession: of course that is Ståle Solbakken. He assumes that too, but one can’t help but think he’s about to lose the respect and support of the players, Ekstra Bladet sports editor Allan Olsen wrote after the loss to Rijeka.
SUCCESS: Ståle Solbakken has led FCK to the group stage of the Champions League four times, like here in 2010 when they beat Rosenborg.
Photo: Gorm Kallestad / NTB
NRK expert Skjønsberg isn’t entirely surprised, but thinks Solbakken can definitely leave Copenhagen with its head held high.
– They’ve had fantastic results with FCK, but it’s been a while since they really established themselves in the Champions League, as they have. They are a bit on the verge of losing their clear position as Denmark’s best team, says Skjønsberg.
– He has done a very impressive job, and has brought the team to a level that many did not think possible. He has been worse at home in the last year, but the journey and what they have experienced with him as a coach is unique in Scandinavian football, says Torp.
Warned about “desperate demands”
Last season, FCK came in second place, nine points behind FC Midtjylland. The weak results of the last months have caused that the pressure only increases on the Norwegian.
At a press conference in the Danish capital, the chairman of the board, Rygaard, emphasizes that they have spent time making the decision and that there is no conflict between the management and Solbakken.
In late September, ahead of the Europa League knockout match against Rijeka, Solbakken warned the club not to go in a completely different direction.
– I could have done better things, it’s one hundred percent sure. I can be replaced very easily. I won’t get in the way if someone wants it, said Solbakken first in a lengthy interview with Denmark’s Eurosport.
-But what I must warn very strongly about are the completely absurd, idiotic and desperate demands that we must go in a completely different direction, the Norwegian continued.
I don’t want to comment
Solbakken pointed to the enormous success the club has had and thought it would be an end in itself to make big changes beyond replacing it.
William Kvist, who will be the sports leader, believes that players need a fresh start.
– It is also a sad day and a difficult but necessary decision, says Kvist, who has played 285 games for FCK over two terms before retiring in 2019.
NRK has tried to get a comment from Solbakken, without success. Nor has he commented on the club’s website or at the press conference.
– That’s what Ståle and I agreed. That’s what he wants, and I think it’s completely “fair,” says Rygaard.
