Euro 2016: Iceland break with tradition as they give fans silent treatment in France

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Giuseppe Muro17 June 2016

Iceland have an unusual practice of naming their team to fans before matches but coach Heimir Hallgrimsson says they will not be doing it during the finals.

Speaking ahead of Iceland’s game against Hungary tomorrow at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille, Hallgrimsson has explained why that is not practical in France.

“We do it in Iceland, it is a nice tradition,” he said. “When we started doing it, the group of supporters was not very big but has grown considerably since so it would be impossible to do here in France.

“The funny thing about this is it is confidential.

“Even though 200-300 people show up, the starting line-ups are not leaked and it is about 30 minutes before the journalists get the teams.

“No one takes photos and I have never seen anything from it on social media. It just shows the respect the supporters have for the team.”

Iceland, the smallest nation ever to reach a European Championship finals, held Portugal, despite having Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo in their side, to a 1-1 draw in their opening Group F match.

Hungary recorded a surprise 2-0 win against Austria in their opening group match in Bordeaux, so tomorrow’s game is a good opportunity for both teams to secure qualification to the last 16.

Hallgrimsson added: “You can see how they are progressing as a squad and a team.

“They are a really compact and solid team, known for their defensive side of the game, but against Austria you could see how strong they are in attack.”

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