Bjarni Felixson (27 December 1936 – 14 September 2023), commonly known as Bjarni Fel, was an Icelandic
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
, sports reporter and commentator.
Nicknamed The Red Lion due to his red hair, he won six caps for the
Iceland national team between 1962 and 1964. He played for
Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur for several seasons, winning the
national championship five times and the
Icelandic Cup seven times.
Following his playing career, he became a sports reporter and commentator for
RÚV for 42 years.
Playing career
From 1956 to 1968, Bjarni played for Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur. Playing as a defender, he was not known as a great offensive threat and only scored two goals during his career. In a 1997 interview with
Morgunblaðið
''Morgunblaðið'' (, ''The Morning Paper'') is an Icelandic newspaper. ''Morgunblaðið''s website, mbl.is, is the most popular website in Iceland.
History
''Morgunblaðið'' was founded by Vilhjálmur Finsen and Ólafur Björnsson, brother of ...
, he stated that after scoring what ended being his last goal, the opposing goalkeeper muttered "''I knew I should've retired last season''".
Broadcasting career
In 1969, Bjarni was hired by
RÚV as a part-time commentator for broadcasts of
Premier League matches. In 1972, he was hired fulltime by RÚV where he stayed on as a sports reporter and commentator for 42 years
and was the prime factor in bringing English football to the Icelandic audience.
He was at
Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium is a 39,732-capacity association football stadium located in Owlerton, a north-western suburb of Sheffield, Yorkshire, England. It has been the home of Sheffield Wednesday since its opening in 1899.
The ground has been sub ...
as a commentator during the
Hillsborough disaster
The Hillsborough disaster was a fatal human crush during a football match at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989. It occurred during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in the ...
.
Personal life and death
Bjarni's brothers,
Hörður Felixson and
Gunnar Felixson, both played with him on KR and the Icelandic national team. In 1963, all three brothers played together for Iceland in two games against
England.
In 2008, a
sports bar in Reykjavík was named ''Bjarni Fel Sportsbar'' in his honour.
Bjarni died on 14 September 2023, at the age of 86, in
Copenhagen, Denmark, where he was to attend the funeral of
Finn Heiner, the former head of sports of
Denmarks radio.
Honours
KR
*
Icelandic Championships:
1959
Events January
* January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance.
* January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...
,
1961
Events January
* January 3
** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015).
** Aero Flight 311 ...
,
1963
Events January
* January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...
,
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...
,
1968
The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
* Januar ...
*
Icelandic Cup (7): 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967
References
External links
*
1936 births
2023 deaths
Footballers from Reykjavík
Men's association football defenders
Bjarni Felixson
Bjarni Felixson
Bjarni Felixson
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