More Sticks and Stones from Danish Journeymen aimed at Kasper Schmeichel

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The Celtic Star

·2. April 2025

More Sticks and Stones from Danish Journeymen aimed at Kasper Schmeichel

You’ll be all well aware of the whole debate regarding an article made by a journalist about Kasper Schmeichel last week, and in the latest Danish podcast Højt Spil, two pundits discuss whether these words were acceptable or not…

Kasper Schmeichel. Motherwell v Celtic, 2nd February 2025. Photo by Vagelis Georgariou

The two pundits speaking are Lasse Fosgaard and David Boysen. Fosgaard played 315 matches in the Danish Superliga, while Boysen achieved 79 matches with some of them being for Brøndby IF, so nowhere near the career path of Kasper Schmeichel in elite football. Basically they are a couple of Danish journeymen ex-players having their say about matters surrounding their national team in general and Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel in particular.

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Here the whole transcription from the podcast on the segment where they discuss the Kasper Schmeichel controversy over in Denmark.

Lasse Fosgaard: “This past week, there’s been this whole debate raging about the word ‘pudgy’ and Kasper Schmeichel, and whether or not you could call him that, and I just have to say, you absolutely can. As a football player, your body is your tool, and if that body isn’t in shape, then that’s completely fair. I know myself that as you get older, it becomes harder to be just as fast and so on, and the other thing that happens is that it also becomes harder to say no to béarnaise sauce and pick-and-mix candy and all that other stuff. That’s why you end up putting on a few kilos, and if that happens, then I think it’s completely fair that if you play a bad game and it looks like that’s the reason, then you should be criticised for it.”

UEFA Nations League: Portugal – Denmark. Referee Slavko Vincic looks at Denmark’s goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who is in pain in the shoulder during the UEFA Nations League playoff match in League A at JosÃ Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon, Portugal on Sunday, March 23, 2025. (Photo: Bo Amstrup Ritzau Scanpix)

Emil Bellaiche (journalist): “Boysen, do you think it ruins the debate that these kinds of words are being used, like saying he boxes like a polio-stricken child, or that he’s been called ‘pudgy’? What do you think about that kind of language being used?”

David Boysen: “I probably would have been a bit hurt if those words were said about me, no matter how I looked. I think those are some harsh words being used because you’re being put in a certain box with them. That, I think, is tough. But on the other hand, as Fosgaard says, when you’re Denmark’s national team goalkeeper and have been for a decade, you can’t deny that we all saw something that looked a bit off with his physique. There’s just no way around it.”

UEFA Nations League: Portugal – Denmark Denmark’s goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel is in pain in the shoulder during the UEFA Nations League playoff match in League A between Portugal and Denmark at JosÃ Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon, Portugal on Sunday, March 23, 2025. (Photo: Bo Amstrup Ritzau Scanpix)

Emil Bellaiche (journalist): “But Fosgaard, don’t you think he could have made his point without calling him those things?”

Lasse Fosgaard: “He probably could have, but that’s just how it works in the media, it’s all about making headlines. That’s the world we live in, also with social media, where it’s all about making noise. I think the criticism is completely justified, and sure, we can discuss word choices and so on, but I don’t think ‘pudgy’ is an insulting word in any way. I’d almost rather be called ‘pudgy’ than be told I was really bad. It’s not like he called him ‘massively fat’ or something like that.

Kasper Schmeichel picks the ball out of the net during the Scottish Premiership match at Celtic Park, Celtic v theRangers 16 March 2025. Photo O Rourke, Shutterstock

“I just feel like, let’s say Kasper Schmeichel was Denmark’s best swimmer and he showed up to a swimming competition in that kind of shape, and we all sat there watching as he finished seven seconds behind the others: ‘I don’t really get it, it’s like he just didn’t quite hit form. I mean, come on. It’s so obvious to everyone that he’s slow. He doesn’t have the same speed on the line. Has he gotten older? Yeah, yeah. But what else? He’s gotten bigger too. And bigger, yeah, yeah, that’s an ugly word, you’re not supposed to say it, but it’s the truth.

“I just don’t understand why this is a problem. In every other sport, you’re allowed to say it, but times have changed. Everyone is a victim now.”

Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and Jeffrey Schlupp of Celtic applaud fans after final whistle Celtic v Hibernian, Scottish Gas Scottish Cup, Quarter Final, Celtic Park, 9 March 2025 Photo Stuart Wallace/Shutterstock

David Boysen: “Schmeichel is really bad at handling criticism, so he just avoids speaking at all. It’s the same thing when a goal goes in. He just hides away, so he’s not particularly good at taking criticism.”

Meanwhile Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that Kasper Schmeichel will be missing for around five to six weeks after the results from his scan on his shoulder were reviewed. However the Celtic manager also revealed that our Great Dane is determined to be back sooner than that.

You would have thought that Kasper given his contribution to Danish football and the career that he’s had merited a little more respect in his homeland. He’d be justified in thinking that himself. For Celtic he remains an outstanding contributor to our team and his work this season has already convinced Brendan Rodgers to offer another year.

Kasper it seems to many, wants to keep playing until the World Cup then call it a day. Whether that’s going to be possible is probably going to be done to the decisions taken in Denmark and not Glasgow. He certainly remains our Great Dane.

A reminder that Denmark are in the same qualifying group as Scotland and that exciting young Greece side so it’s going to be a hard fought battle to get through automatically as group winners or even make the play-offs.

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