Reykjavík Grapevine - 16.06.2016, Page 2

As you may have noticed, something
big is going on in the world of Icelan-
dic football this summer. Since the
foundation of the Icelandic Football
Association in 1947, the men’s national
team has never once equalled their
female counterparts’ achievement of
qualifying for the finals of a major
tournament. This dismal record is un-
derstandable—for much of that time,
Iceland’s youth players practiced on
gravel pitches, and only during those
brief windows of summer when the
entire country wasn’t storm-lashed or
snowed in. But now, after a decades-
long effort to build indoor pitches and
improve training methods, Iceland’s
moment has come—the (almost) four-
generation losing streak is over, and
the men’s team have qualified for the
finals of Euro 2016 in France. This
means you can expect to see the faces
of Icelandic footballing heroes such
as Gylfi Sigurðsson and Einar Guð-
johnsen everywhere you look over the
coming weeks. For those of you who
aren’t into sports, good luck escaping
it—there’ll be outdoor screens in pub-
lic areas, cardboard cutouts in every
store, cinemas showing games, and
football ads rolling on YouTube. But
if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Whack
on some facepaint and read on for our
guide to ICELAND’S PATH TO CER-
TAIN VICTORY, later in the issue.
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In This Issue
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 8 — 2016
2
PRESIDENTS! P:22
The nine-way melée draws to it’s climax
+ memorable ice-prez moments of yore
FEATURE
FOOTBALL! P:30
Iceland’s path to certain victory at Euro 2016
+ where to watch it & our photos from France
ANALYSIS
ALL THE MUSIC! P:60
The return of the Sísý Ey sisters
+ Samaris talk Black Light & Bára Gisladóttir´s favourite LPs
MUSIC
VOLCANOES! P:60
We ventured inside a volcano...
+ meet the man who discovered Þríhnúkargígur
TRAVEL
APPY HOUR
Happy Hours
CRAVING
Food & Dining
APPENING
Event Listings
Available on the App Store and the Google Play Store.
The hot button issue of this issue is
president fever. Elections in Iceland,
from small villages to Parliament it-
self, are almost always about party
politics. The exception to this is the
presidential election. The President
himself may have had a political his-
tory in one party or another, but Ice-
land’s President does not run on behalf
of any political party but the Party of
Me. This means presidential candi-
dates sell themselves to the public on
their individual positions and policies,
attracting a wide spectrum of colour-
ful characters seeking the office. This
year’s campaign season has been es-
pecially animated and unpredictable,
with some campaign tactics arising
that Iceland has never seen before,
and has arguably outpaced parliamen-
tary elections this autumn as the focal
point of the Icelandic political imagi-
nation. It’s for this reason and others
that the presidential elections are this
issue’s hot button.
SHARE: gpv.is/hot4
Presidents THE HOT BUTTON
FRESH
Icelandic
Football