THE SWEDISH TRADE PRESS ON THE BENCH
— Béla Bokai | 10/09/1943, Stockholm —

I went up to the "Idrottsbladet" to invite my Swedish colleagues, where I had the opportunity to talk to Swedish sports experts about the upcoming big match and Swedish football in general. I also asked my colleagues, especially Luberg Wolf.

— How do they play in Sweden, with clumsy or high balls?

Wolf: In Altala they answered flat. Especially Martensson, the right winger of the team, can play flat balls.

— In which national team match did the Swedish national team play best?

Wolf: In 1942 in Zurich, where the team lost 3-1 to the Swiss. Ballabio prevented the Swedish victory and scored a goal.

I told my Swedish colleagues that the co-chairman of the Hungarian FA, Dénes Ginzery, was out in Zurich at the time and saw the match. Then reported the great game with the greatest enthusiasm and won many admirers for Swedish football. My statement was obviously well received by the Swedes, to whom I now put the following question.

— Which match was the biggest success for Swedish football?

Wolf: In 1942, a 3-2 victory in Berlin. In the same year they beat the Danes, our big rivals, 3-0.

That was the answer. It is clear from these three figures, but they themselves say that 1942 was the best year in Swedish football. It was the year they came to the top of the continent's top flight.

— Who were the best Swedish players?

Wolf: Ekroth, AIK's inside left, and Rydell, the inside right, was the answer.

— Who has been in the Swedish national team the most?

Wolf: Goalkeeper Lindberg, the "Swedish Zamora" as he was usually called. Fifty-two times national team.

— Who is the most popular player in the Swedish team that will play on Sunday? 

Wolf: Goalkeeper Bergquist and inside left Karlsson.

— What is the custom in Stockholm, I asked, is it the good play of the team that gets the crowd excited or the crowd that gets the team excited? 

The answer is an interesting and unique Swedish custom. On the pitches in Stockholm, before big matches, a man with a sound amplification funnel walks in front of the spectators and addresses them in this way: 


— Héjja, héjje! Frist Humör!


— That means in Hungarian: hajrá, hajrá, friss lelkesedés! The audience then gets almost fanatical and starts cheering for their team.

This is how my Swedish colleague described the matches in Stockholm:

Wolf: In Altala, the Swedish team does not get going in the first 10 minutes like the Hungarians did in Budapest. The Swedish team has a hard time scoring in the first half. It is only in the second half that they really overcome their great strength. Last time, the Estonians led 2-0 in the first five minutes before the Swedes scored four goals in the second half to win 4-2.

So we know that too. By the way, Captain Vághy was also very much in awe of the Swedish effort. In any case, I would like to thank our Swedish colleagues for the information they have given us, which I am sure is a good insight into the characteristics of Swedish football.