Denmark call up futsal squad as stand-off continues

A dispute over sponsorship agreements has thrown Danish football completely up in the air, with it looking increasingly likely that Wednesday night's friendly against Slovakia and Sunday's UEFA Nations League clash with Wales will be played with a squad made up of futsal players and uncapped lower-league players.

The DBU rejected the Denmark squad's offer to extend the previous deal by a month, with star man Christian Eriksen detailing the offer on the website of footballers' union 'Spillerforeningen'.

"We're here to solve this conflict now, not just dig the ditches deeper," Eriksen said in a statement.

"Let's renew the old deal by one month. We are prepared to play the international matches this week and then we have time after the matches to negotiate the whole agreement.

"It does not make sense for the DBU not to accept that offer. The agreement has been worked on for years and should only run one month longer. Sign it, and we will sit on the plane immediately. We are ready and we will play."

Should the DBU maintain their current stance, Denmark could face significant sanctions, including potentially being slapped with a fine and banned from the 2020 European Championships.

Witht he Nations League only due to get underway on Thursday, UEFA are wary of their new tournament being overshawed by off-the-field matter and are expected to clamp down hard on Denmark.

Last year, the women's team boycotted a World Cup qualifier with Sweden over a pay dispute. The DBU was fined and warned Denmark could be excluded from any UEFA tournament if another match was cancelled in the next four years.

According to Danish publication 'Ekstra Bladet', Christopher Haagh, Jim Brothmann Hougaard, Kevin Jorgensen and Louis Veis are among the futsal players that could be in line for a call-up as things stand.

With head coach Age Hareide also involved in the dispute, Denmark have decided to place former midfielder John Jensen in charge of the team for Wednesday's game