Nicolai Johansen (footballer)

Nicolai Vestergaard Johansen (born 24 February 1994) is a Danish footballer who plays as a defender for Vanløse IF. In September 2018, he made his debut for the Denmark national team, as the regular squad withdrew following a players' union dispute.

Nicolai Johansen
Personal information
Full name Nicolai Vestergaard Johansen
Date of birth (1994-02-24) 24 February 1994 (age 30)
Place of birth Denmark
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
Vanløse IF
Number 3
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013– Vanløse IF
International career
2018 Denmark 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:56, 5 September 2018 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17:56, 5 September 2018 (UTC)

International career

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In September 2018, the Danish Football Association and players' union were scheduled to sign a new national team agreement for the players of the Denmark national team prior to a friendly against Slovakia and their opening UEFA Nations League match against Wales.[1] However, a contract dispute arose regarding the commercial rights of the players, resulting in a failure to sign a new agreement.[2] Despite an offer from the squad to extend the previous deal to allow for further negotiations, the DBU instead named an entirely uncapped squad under the temporary management of coach John Jensen to avoid punishment from UEFA for cancelling the matches.[3][4][5] The squad consisted of a mixture of players from the Danish 2nd Division and the Denmark Series (the third and fourth tier of Danish football respectively), along with futsal players from the Denmark national futsal team.[6][7]

On 4 September 2018, Johansen was one of 24 players to be named in the replacement squad.[8] The following day, he made his international debut in the friendly match against Slovakia. He played the entire match, which finished as a 0–3 away loss.[9]

Career statistics

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International

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As of 5 September 2018
Denmark
Year Apps Goals
2018 1 0
Total 1 0

References

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  1. ^ "John Jensen takes charge of Denmark as row over players' rights goes on". The Guardian. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  2. ^ "Could Denmark cancel international matches over player contract row?". The Local dk. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  3. ^ "Nations League: Denmark name futsal players in squad for Wales game amid dispute". BBC. 4 September 2018.
  4. ^ "Denmark to field futsal players against Wales due to dispute". The Irish Times. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  5. ^ Wilson, Jeremy (4 September 2018). "Futsal players, amateurs and an ex-Arsenal midfielder in temporary charge – a bitter contract dispute has decimated Denmark's team to face Wales". The Telegraph.
  6. ^ "Nations League: Denmark name futsal players in squad for Wales game amid dispute". BBC. 4 September 2018.
  7. ^ Glendenning, Barry (4 September 2018). "Something is rotten in the state of Danish football". The Guardian.
  8. ^ "Truppen til kampen mod Slovakiet" [The squad for the match against Slovakia]. DBU.dk (in Danish). Danish Football Association. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  9. ^ "Friendlies: Slovakia–Denmark". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 5 September 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
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