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Dido flies in to seal Faroese merger

Members

Rising standards in Faroese football has persuaded six-time champions GÍ Gøta to merge with neighbours LÍF Leirvík, with the new club naming a Brazilian coach.

Rising standards in Faroese football has persuaded six-time champions GÍ Gøta to merge with neighbours LÍF Leirvík, with the new club naming a Brazilian coach.

Neighbouring villages
The villages of Gota and Leirvik lie on either side of a mountain but are connected by a 2km-long tunnel. Gota has a population of around 1,000 while Leirvik has around 900 residents, and with GÍ and LÍF – losing Faroese Cup finalists in 1986 – struggling to compete with clubs from more populous parts of the Faroe Islands, joining forces proved to be the most sensible option.

Logical decision
With GÍ having celebrated their 80th anniversary in 2006 and LÍF due to pass a similar milestone later this year, both clubs felt some trepidation in giving up their heritage. Common sense won out in the final vote, though, with 90 per cent of GÍ members and 100 per cent of their LÍF counterparts backing the merger, working on the logic that running one club is cheaper than running two.

Brazilian coach
The new club has yet to decide on a new name, and will soldier on under the hybrid title GÍ/LÍF until a final decision is reached in February. It has, however, decided on a new coach with former CR Flamengo and Santos FC player Edson 'Dido' Silva, who later played in Israel, taking over. He offered to bring in players from Brazil, but GÍ/LÍF want him to check out the local talent first.

Promising youngster
The former Vietnam and Taiwan national team coach's new charges include youngster Andreas Lava Olsen, who will finally play in the top division after turning down a number of moves to bigger clubs while at LÍF. However, Dido will not be able to count on former GÍ star Sámal Joensen, who cannot play in the upcoming season as he is expected to be at sea. The one-time GÍ captain and Faroese international is also the captain of a merchant ship.

Home stadium
The new club will be playing their home games at GÍ's Sarpugerdi Stadium, but with a new clubhouse – incorporating a 400-seater terrace – in the process of being built, there should be plenty of room for fans from Leirvik to attend games as the newly merged club kicks off their 2008 campaign.