Albufeira. The struggle with his supporters took its toll.
Now Hedvig Lindahl takes a look at the disorder.
– It was a difficult period in my life, says the goalkeeper.
She really knows if she’s good enough anymore. Hedvid Lindahl herself still doubts whether she is up to the task as a goalkeeper for the national team. In the end, she decided to put the decision in the hands of national team captain Peter Gerhardson.
– I wasn’t sure of my choice for the January tour. It was up to Peter. It’s good that he thinks I still have something to contribute. We talk before each choice. I was ready to say “thanks for what happened, but now we’re moving on” but he didn’t say it. It was a bit of a surprise.
Lyndall explains that since the summer she has been ready to give up her place at Blagault. If there were better alternatives, she would step down immediately. In semi-obvious fashion, it gave Peter Gerhardtson the chance to get her out of the national team.
– But I have to realize that I am not the captain of the national team. It’s all up to Peter.
– Now it’s fun to be here. I’ve decided not to put that pressure on myself, and I’m going to be kinder to myself.
In conflict with the supporters
The veteran is clearly drawn to another tournament. At the same time, she didn’t comment her entire existence on a possible choice of toilet this summer. exactly the contrary.
– There are also advantages to spending the summer at home with my kids. There are other things in life that also attract, he says and ends the reflection with a smile:
– We’ll see if I’m good enough, that’s what I thought.
There weren’t many smiles during the fall. Lyndall immediately ended up in a long-running conflict with parts of the Djurgården fan collective after she was signed to the club. After losing the derby to Hammarby, she was criticized for signing a shirt from an opposing fan. Prior to the match itself, she positively drew attention to Hammarby’s strong crowd recruitment, which stirred passions. In the meeting with Brommapojkarna, she exclaimed: “Can’t you keep a clean sheet in this damned team?” When Lyndall tried to explain himself, the situation often became more contagious.
Gerhardson: “sad and disappointed”
Many supporters thought she had acted inappropriately and Lyndall felt that many supporters had acted inappropriately towards her. It was a dead end. Union captain Peter Gerhardson followed the events and struggled with his guard.
– I think there is a culture that is not the best sometimes. That she autographs a shirt…she’s a recognized national team player. It’s the same as if Zlatan had to do something similar. Where is the limit? Gerhardson asks himself and continues:
– I was somewhat saddened and disappointed for Hedvig. It must be so and that she will end up in this situation. Then I do not know exactly who was wrong and did not fall into it. But I was even more sad after all the time I gave Swedish football and then ended up in this.
“It was very difficult”
After a few months, the strongest feelings subsided. She is partly self-critical but sees the future in Djurgården positively.
– It was really hard on a personal level. Tough time in my life. At the same time, an interesting learning period for many of those involved in the process. But it has stabilized now. There were many unfortunate events then it got bigger and bigger before it subsided. Now it’s more natural. I hope people who follow Djurgården’s women’s team will be happy to sign me.
What did you learn – and what did Djurgården learn from this?
– I’ve learned that there’s more interest in the women’s league and that people who didn’t care before who were hanging around the men’s team might care more now. Suddenly, the behavior I had always had around the women’s league didn’t work because someone thought you had to act a certain way when you represented this club. These people probably learned that I…or to be perfectly honest, I don’t actually know what they learned. But it may be that people around the club have understood that we need to be more clear about what the club thinks in certain situations.
She believes in a better and more harmonious year 2023.
– It will become entertaining. The coach is good and the girls deserve results. They are very ambitious players who struggle a lot with extra jobs and move between different arenas. It’s a very difficult life but they do it with a twinkle in their eye and the club is doing what they can to make it better.
