Heavy rain over Parken has likely never looked so good to FCK fans as it did on Sunday, May 25, 2025. It felt like golden rain when early goals from Elias Achouri and Jordan Larsson in both halves set the stage for an incredibly smooth championship game. The match concluded with a 3-0 victory, sealed by Kevin Diks’ penalty.
The experience was not diminished by the fact that ’Byens Hold’ (The City’s Team) thus handled the pressure that arch-rival Brøndby buckled under a year ago. Here, an electric Brøndby Stadium, ready for a gold celebration, turned into a somber atmosphere following the defeat to AGF (Århus Football Club).
The rain in Parken could also be seen as a symbol of what FCK overcame in a season far from comfortable throughout. The club with the largest player budget finished the regular season with a 0-0 draw against AaB (Aalborg Football Club) in Aalborg, a 1-1 draw against Sønderjyske (Sønderjyske Football) at Parken, and then a 3-2 loss to Viborg (Viborg Footsport Association) away.
This followed two stretches in the regular season where FC Copenhagen managed just one win in four and five rounds, respectively. They also lost their first two matches against Brøndby and FC Midtjylland in the championship playoffs. Throughout the season, FC Copenhagen often appeared to be a team on shaky ground, teetering on the edge of collapse. Diant Ramaj’s headbutt on Brøndby’s Thomas Mikkelsen in the scandalous aftermath of the latest derby at Parken, along with the revelation of Rodrigo Huescas’ reckless driving on Kalvebod Brygge, only added to their difficulties in performing well.
Fantastic Froholdt
But all that had long faded into the background on the day when the gold became a reality, for there have also been significant highlights for FC Copenhagen in the 2024/25 season. Coach Jacob Neestrup seemed throughout large parts of the Superliga season to constantly search for the right combination to unlock the team’s potential. He succeeded at the most crucial moment.
FCK demonstrated championship quality at the eleventh hour in a season where gold contenders largely fell short. They won five of their last six matches. In the only draw during that run, Thomas Delaney’s header in the 1-1 game against FC Midtjylland is destined to become even more iconic in hindsight.
FCK hit their highest level of the season in the spring, where the mere 19-year-old Victor Froholdt had such a significant breakthrough that he rightly was named the Superliga’s Spring Player of the Season and debuted for the senior national team against Portugal. Froholdt was again the best player on the field against FC Nordsjælland and can already become FCK’s biggest sale ever this summer.
Conflict with Section 12
Every FCK fan has good reason to show up to work on Monday with a smile and perhaps a slight headache. The headache will surely fade for both fans and players. However, from an outsider’s perspective, significant challenges are not just a thing of the past for FC Copenhagen’s management. They are actually piling up to an unusual degree for a championship team.
Throughout the season, the conflict between FCK management and the highly influential fan group Section 12 led to the absence of a choreographed display on the end stand before Sunday’s game. Instead, the Lower C stand provided it, breaking tradition.
At the heart of the conflict is FCK’s desire to tackle the disturbances and heavy fines associated with pyrotechnics, which have significantly impacted Danish football this season.
According to a statement from Section 12, »the current management chooses to handle any security challenges by, more or less deliberately, combating and significantly worsening the conditions for the vast majority of volunteers working for positive fan culture, is both sad and counterproductive. An approach that, in our view, risks encouraging the very deterioration they wish to combat«.
Neestrup’s last home game for FCK?
This conflict unfolds at a time when FCK has never had such a strong grip on the people of Copenhagen as now. For the third season in a row, FC Copenhagen has an average attendance of around 28,000 in Parken. A decade ago, that number was around 15,000.
In 2025, FCK has over 8,000 people on the waiting list to buy a season ticket. The worn-down state of Parken and the immense interest suggest that it might be time to create a stadium that matches the European clubs FCK compares itself to. However, this prospect is far off due to financial constraints and the political game surrounding the reversion rights, which mandate that the stadium must return to the hands of Copenhagen Municipality in 2060.
FCK’s training facilities also do not compare with FC Midtjylland’s or European clubs of the same status as FCK. However, renovations can only begin in fall 2026 when a new local plan is in place.
These are big issues. More immediate is the question of whether Jacob Neestrup led FC Copenhagen at Parken for the last time on Sunday. The 37-year-old head coach, who has now guided FCK to two Danish championships, extended his contract in October until 2029.
However, during this season, he has been linked to the coaching job at German club Wolfsburg, where Peter Christiansen serves as sporting director.
There is plenty for FC Copenhagen to sort out in the near future. But for now, FCK fans are likely just celebrating the club’s 16th Danish championship.
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