Rosenborg's reign nears its end

By Eivind Aarre

Rosenborg BK's stranglehold on the Norwegian Premier Division seems to be at an end - after 13 straight titles. The league reached the halfway stage at the weekend, with Rosenborg in seventh place, 12 points behind surprise leaders IK Start.

Six-point lead
Newly promoted Start maintained their six-point advantage going into the three-week summer break, courtesy of an injury-time goal by defender Marius Johnsen which secured a 2-1 win at Fredrikstad FK. SK Brann, Viking FK, Vålerenga Fotball and Lillestrøm SK are Start's main rivals, but they need the Kristiansand club to slip up to have a realistic chance.

Cup embarrassment
Rosenborg coach Per Joar Hansen has been under increasing pressure to quit after a run of disappointing results, but so far has refused to buckle. His tenure appeared to be over when first division LF Hønefoss humbled Rosenborg in the Norwegian Cup fourth round with a 2-1 victory.

Players blamed
Afterwards, Hansen blamed the players for the defeat. A string of meetings ensued the following day, with the result that Hansen kept his job while the players vowed to bounce back. "We accept the blame for our poor recent results," said players' spokesman Roar Strand. "We promise to give our all for the club."

TV deal
However, on-field events have been put in the shadow by the new television deal for Norwegian football. Broadcaster TV2 and telecommunications giant Telenor forked out a total of €125m for the right to broadcast Premier Division and national team games from 2006-08.