The voices behind football
Inside FC Copenhagen fan culture, traditions and history
At 7pm, Sektion 12 is already buzzing with chants while the rest of the seats start to fill up.
Flags wave above the fans while they all sing together, even before the players have entered the field. For many of them, supporting FC Copenhagen (FCK) is more than just football; it is a way of belonging to the city itself.
"We're the city", said Mathilde, a 24-year-old who has been a supporter of the club since she can remember.
The club has built around being the "cool, fashionable, metropolitan club from the capital", according to sports journalist Sebastian Stanbury. For both the club and the fans, being from Copenhagen is part of the identity of FCK.
Over the years, there have been changes within the club’s fanbase. Some of them have been supporting the club since its creation in 1992, while others have just recently joined.
"The older generation is more critical, while the younger ones are here more to have a good time", explained Jonas, who has been an FCK fan for 28 years.
These differences can sometimes create tensions between them. With the popularity growth of football in Denmark since they got to the semi-finals in the Euros in 2021, new fans have flooded the stands at Parken Stadium.
Sektion 12 singing chants before kick-off. Video: Matilda Rodriguez Cascelli
"The people who have always been there welcome you, but you have to participate, not just be there for the sake of being seen", says Stanbury while talking about the nickname for the stands of FCK. He also mentions that opposing teams have lately calling them as the "TikTok stand".
But football continues to bring people together. Fans meet up outside Parken, drink beer, update each other and sing chants to build the atmosphere before the game.
These traditions have been passed down over the years and are part of being an FC Copenhagen supporter.
